29/07/2010 - Overhaul of licensing laws planned
The Government has announced proposals to reform the licensing laws, in an attempt to curb alcohol-related crime and disorder.
According to Home Secretary Theresa May, the advantages of 24-hour licences have failed to materialise.
Every year, the taxpayer is forced to pay up to £13 billion, due to crime and disorder relating to binge drinking.
Thus in order to provide communities with more power to handle the situation and find a solution that better suits them, licensing laws need to be reformed, she said.
An overhaul of the laws would enable them to deal with irresponsible premises, while allowing late-night drinking where it is wanted.
The Government is also considering plans to introduce tougher penalties for those who sell alcohol to children as well as higher licensing fees to include the expense of extra policing.
Police and hospital A&E departments are forced to "bear the brunt" of booze-fuelled violence, Mrs May added.
Official figures revealed that as many as one million alcohol-related violent crimes took place in 2009, with a fifth of such incidents happening in or around a pub or club.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
Related links
|
