08/06/2009 - Shops unite to combat bad behaviour
Shopkeepers in a town in Cornwall are joining forces to stop drunken anti-social behaviour by refusing to sell alcohol to anyone who looks as though they "may cause trouble".
The move follows a six-week trial over Christmas which saw a dramatic reduction in incidents related to binge-drinking.
While there are no set guidelines about who to refuse, the seven shops that sell alcohol in Camborne are confident that their approach will work. Rachel Letcher, of Treswithian Stores, told the BBC she has not had any problems turning people away. "You've got to use your instinct," she commented.
During the Christmas trial, Devon and Cornwall Police were called out to drink-related anti-social behaviour three times, compared with 18 during the same period the previous year.
Pc Ben Charity said they needed to see whether a more sustained period of action would work as well as the trial. "Evidence of the trial showed that it worked very well," he said. "We need to see how this longer period goes.
"You just get a sense of whether someone's a dodgy individual and whether they'll bring the town or village down."
Copyright © Press Association 2009
Related links
|
