Photograph by Peter Thoeny
Police chiefs have proposed the idea of privately-run drunk tanks to deal with the issues of alcohol-fuelled disobedience and disorder across Britain’s town centres on Friday and Saturday nights.
The considered a danger to themselves and/or others would be put in a drunk tank to sober up, and pay for their own care. This would free up police time and resources to deal with other crimes.
Tony Lloyd, Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester and Chairman of The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said:
The effects of excessive alcohol consumption can be felt across all parts of local communities.
The only way to make further progress on alcohol fuelled crime is to work in conjunction with local and national partners. By working together we can bring considerable social benefits to our communities and make a positive impact on crime and reduce the demand on policing.
Alcohol crime often overlaps with health issues so it is important to work closely with local Health and Wellbeing Boards and other health professionals to identify the scale of the problem and take action to reduce misuse.
“There is also a need to find innovative ways to address the adverse effects of the night-time economy and reduce the demand on police responders. Binge drinking blights towns and cities across England and Wales. Police and Crime Commissioners are working to change the culture by working with positive role models such as street pastors who engage with drinkers and offer support to change their ways. Some Commissioners are looking at ‘drunk tanks’ which house inebriated people overnight and allow police officers to deal with other crimes.
The police have launched a week-long campaign highlighting the realities faced by those dealing with drunkenness and alcohol-related incidents. Chief Constable Adrian Lee anwered a number of questions about policing of drunk people on Twitter, saying:
Police are all too often having to care for people who have clearly failed to take care of themselves. These people need to grow up and take responsibility. Drinking so much that you can’t think clearly makes you vulnerable and more likely to become a victim of crime, be injured or be involved in violence.
We’re not here to clean you up and drop you home or mediate drunken arguments. We’d prefer our officers to be in their communities fighting crime rather than being pulled off their beats into town centres every weekend.
