Afternoon:
14°c
Make drink cost four times the price, say police
Sri Carmichael and Lucia Binding02.07.09
The price of alcoholic drinks must be almost quadrupled to curb binge drinking, one of the country's most senior police officers said today.
Mike Craik, the Association of Chief Police Officers' national spokesman on licensing, called for each unit of alcohol to cost a minimum of 80p.
The Government's Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson proposed a figure of 50p earlier this year.
Speaking at the Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum on Alcohol, MrCraik said he also wanted a complete ban on alcohol advertising.
Under his recommended price structure, a can of 4% beer could not be sold for less than £1.40, and a bottle of 11% wine would have to be priced at more than £6.60.
Reader views (4)
wouldn't it be better to recruit police who are 4 times more intelligent than the current shower.
- Neil, london
Should the police not do their job?! Raising tax is the socialist government's job...
- Georgie, Islington, London
Mr Craik, best you improve the efficiency of what your own Northumberland force is supposed to be doing that is the prevention of crime and bringing offenders to justice, or is it so long ago since you left the police college at Hendon that you have now forgotten those two overriding principles of policing that has formed the basis of British policing for past 180 years. By all means express your personal views on the rights or wrongs of the Licensing Acts but, like that other self opinionated ACPO clown Richard Brunstrom, we don't want or need your opinion on the price of anything. You do not represent us, the police, on this matter you are an appointed member of ACPO, not a representative of the police service in general, for which you have no mandate to speak on behalf of.
- Pete, South London
What utter tosh! Who the hell do these ACPO people think they are? Just beause a small minority of imbeciles are unable to behave in a pleasant, vaguely human way for most of their lives why penalize the rest, the majority who can have a few beeres and not GBH someone, drive a car while drunk, beat up the wife and kids or urinate on top of cars in the high street. What ACPO needs to do, after it has got its shared 'head and brain' out of the governments bum is campaign for a return to strictly observed licensing hours, a positive arrest policy and proper judical disposal options viz. fines and prison sentences.
- Ranter, Maidstone, UK
