Law Weblog

Alcohol seized from under-18s

Saturday 29 December 2007 at 6:17 pm | In News | Post Comment

Police from 21 forces across the country seized over 3,700 litres of beer, wine, cider, alcopops and spirits from youths aged under 18 during an autumn crackdown on drinking in public places. The results of the month long campaign published today by the Home Office revealed the total which is equivalent to over 6,500 pints,

During the campaign, funded by the Home Office, police also used new powers under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 to disperse groups where alcohol related crime or disorder was suspected.

The campaign ran from 8 October to 5 November 2007 with a particular focus on the weekends, half term school holiday, Halloween and Bonfire Night. Police Officers and Community Support Officers visited public places known to be underage drinking hotspots – often turned into no-go areas during the evenings – and brought alcohol-induced anti-social behaviour to an abrupt halt by seizing alcohol and dispersing threatening groups.

You can judge for yourself whether there is a problem in Bournemouth, where over a month the police seized:
34 litres of beer
8.7 litres of cider
8.7 litres of wine
4 litres of spirits
2 bottles of alcopops
0 Fireworks
The Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act 1997 provides police officers in uniform and designated PCSOs the power to remove alcohol from persons under 18 in a public place where alcohol is being consumed or the officer reasonably suspects consumption is about to take place.