November 13, 200817 yr Drunk yobs could be let off with lessons on booze By James Slack Last updated at 12:59 AM on 13th November 2008 Comments (18) Add to My Stories Drunken yobs could be let off with a slap on the wrist if they agree to attend a course on sensible drinking. Instead of facing a court charged with being drunk and disorderly, they would be given advice on reducing how much they consume. The louts would attend ‘alcohol referral schemes’ at which counsellors would explain the link between their drinking and bad behaviour. The lessons would also include advice on alcohol unit strengths. In some cases, the course would be classed as a ‘conditional caution’, and serve as the only punishment for their offence. They would only be charged with the original crime if they did not turn up. Drunk and disorderly...but yobs could be given the option of attending a 'sensible drinking' course instead of facing court charges Some, however, could be sent on a course in addition to a full prosecution, the Home Office said. The cost to the taxpayer of providing the courses to drunks would be £1million. The Government insists the plan is not a ‘soft option’ and that drunken yobs would be made to face up to the consequences of their actions. But critics said ministers had created the problems in the first place by liberalising drinking laws and unleashing 24-hour opening on the public. Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said: ‘This is yet another gimmick from Jacqui Smith’s Home Office. Given the extent of the problems unleashed by Labour’s reckless policy of 24-hour drinking, this response is pitiful – and scarcely a drop in the ocean of the sustained action we need to get to grips with alcohol-fuelled violence in Britain today.’ Matthew Elliott says police don't need more red tape The Home Office said a ‘typical’ alcohol referral would involve an adult who had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly. After being taken into custody, a police officer would decide whether that person might benefit from advice about safer drinking. At a future date, an alcohol specialist would give advice about unit strengths, the effects of alcohol on the body and strategies for reducing the risk of offending. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: ‘The police have got more than enough to do without having to act as nurse maids. The last thing the public or the police need is yet more red tape and central initiatives bogging down officers who are sorely needed for the fight against crime.’ But Home Office minister Alan Campbell said: ‘The alcohol arrest referral sessions are not an easy option. They aim to cut re-offending and so make our towns and city centres more pleasant places by making offenders realise their mistakes.’ The scheme, which has already been tested in some parts of the country, will undergo nine further pilot trials. It could be rolled out nationwide next year. The announcement comes in the week a committee of MPs warned police were being overwhelmed by booze-fuelled mayhem. The Home Affairs Select Committee quoted one chief constable as saying that his officers were stretched to the ‘absolute limits’.
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