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Top police chief calls for urgent action to tackle problem of underage drinking
Last updated at 01:07am on 18.01.08A top police chief has called for more to be done to tackle the problem of underage drinking.
Cheshire chief constable Peter Fahy, on patrol the night father-of-three Mr Newlove was kicked to death, said today that more needed to be done to prevent drunk teenagers doing "stupid things".
He called for age limits on buying alcohol to be raised and price promotions on drinks banned.
Speaking on GMTV this morning, Mr Fahy said he had been out with officers trying to tackle the problem of under-age drinking the night Mr Newlove, 47, was killed.
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Ban: Supermarkets could be outlawed from selling cheap alcohol
The chief constable said he worried he could have done more to prevent the "tragedy".
He said: "I think after any death police officers agonise 'was there more that could have been done?'."
"All sorts of lives have been ruined by this tragedy."
But Mr Fahy said the teenage boys who killed sales manager Mr Newlove were victims of a "strange" British culture that encouraged drinking to excess.
He said that "decent people" can do "stupid things" when they are "so drunk that they're not thinking rationally".
"Perfectly reasonable people, as soon as they start drinking, can become aggressive and use violence, and in their groups they're much more likely to use violence," he said.
"We've got to get better at an earlier stage of identifying these young people who've got a drinking problem."
One in ten children aged 10 to 11 and a fifth of 12 to 13-year-olds polled in 2007 said they had had a drink in the past week.
Last night, it emerged that supermarkets may be banned from selling alcohol at big discounts, it emerged last night.
Ministers want to stop the practice amid fears it is fuelling a wave of violence in town centres and pubs.
They are also concerned it is the main source of alcohol abuse among children and the less well-off.
A review has been ordered by the Home Office and the Department of Health. It is due to report back in July.
The findings will be used to make the case for stopping supermarkets selling strong lager, wine and spirits as a 'loss leader' at less than 'cost' price.
Officially, the Government is admitting for the first time that it is prepared to 'regulate' if necessary.
But Government sources say ministers are now determined to act, after a series of warnings to supermarkets went apparently unheeded.
Alcohol remained on offer at heavy discounts over the Christmas period, with promotions and offers available in hundreds of stores.
The Government estimates there are 8.2million dependent and hazardous drinkers in the UK.
The move will be welcomed by campaigners, but will also raise questions about the Government's decision to unleash 24-hour drinking.
Hundreds of supermarkets are now open round the clock.
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "There is no doubt that there is a responsibility on retailers not to loss lead or recklessly market alcohol in a way that could lead to binge-drinking.
"However, the Government must recognise their irresponsible decision to introduce 24-hour drinking is a primary cause of this problem.
"Until they recognise this, they will not be able to effectively tackle binge drinking or the violence and disorder it brings to our streets."
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Alcohol abuse: Ministers think binge drinking can be tackled by preventing supermarkets from selling cheap alcohol
Police and publicans have warned that shop-bought alcohol is often the cause of violence.
Young people consume large amounts of cutprice alcohol at home before heading into town centres to start trouble.
Figures hidden away in a Competition Commission paper reveal that the country's four biggest supermarkets sold £112.7million of beer, wines and spirits below cost during one month in 2006 when the football World Cup was taking place.
Yesterday, the Daily Mail found plenty of cheap alcohol available at supermarkets.
The cheapest offer for 24 cans of beer was in Morrisons where they were £10 for 440ml cans. Asda sold a ten pack of Fosters lager, 440 ml cans, for £10.
The biggest offer for alcopops was at Sainsbury's where a 12-pack of Smirnoff Ice was £8.95, a reduction of £3.
Most of the five stores checked - Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and the Co-op - were selling bottles of wine for half price.
One possibility ministers are considering is setting a minimum price for alcohol.
They believe a legal challenge is inevitable, under competition rules which prevent the Government from directly interfering in the decision making of private companies.
But senior Government sources say they are determined to find a way of legislating to end the sale of alcohol with excessive discounts. They are confident a law could be drafted careful enough to achieve their aim.
A powerful coalition is lobbying the Government to put an end to the 'highly irresponsible' tactic of selling alcohol at less than cost price.
The Royal College of Physicians, in evidence to a Competition Commission inquiry, said: "It is highly irresponsible for supermarkets to sell alcohol below cost or at a deep discount. The result of below-cost selling is likely to be a rise in consumption, leading to more alcohol-related disease, social disorder and other social problems."
Junior Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said: "This review is expected to report in July 2008, and following public consultation, the Government will consider the need for regulatory change if necessary."
A Home Office spokesman said no decision would be taken until the review, being carried out by the Department of Health, was completed.
Separate plans to restrict the sale of alcohol in supermarkets after 11pm are already under consideration.
Reader views (7)
So the supermarkets are to do the job of the police and the Govt. Perhaps next after they've stacked their shelves store workers could go out on patrol to arrest underage drinkers and disarm them if they have knives.
- Squiz, Islington
Price controls are illegal under EU law (which supersedes UK law) so supermarkets could not be compelled to raise their prices. Besides, cheap booze is all we've got left in the Orwellian dystopia our reptilian "leaders" have foisted upon us.
- Neil Mcphee, London, UK
Paul - Don't go giving the government ideas! Our government's motto is to increase prices to solve a problem and ignore the important issues.
- Moo, South London, UK
From the Government that introduced 24-hour drinking!
- Steve R, London, UK
No, it's not cheap drink you should ban. Just the politicians who have socially engineered such an awful Britain that it is hard to live without a drink.
- Minnie Ovens, USA
So, the government is failing to get a grip on drink-fuelled violence, and has decided to try and shift the blame onto the supermarkets - meaning the rest of us have to suffer with higher prices.
Stricter rules on the sale of alcohol and tougher sentencing are the ways to tackle drunken yobbishness, not higher prices.
- Mark, London
Nanny state again. Maybe they should also ban the supermarkets from selling cheap sausages, burgers, pies and pizzas in case people get fat, or matches in case they burn themselves or kitchen knives in case they cut themselves. For a fulfilled life people need to be constantly making choices. What we really need is better education (remember Blair?), but I'm not holding my breath on that one.
- Paul, London
