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Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

Volume 494: debated on Tuesday 16 June 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of alcohol-related offences resulted in (a) cautions, (b) conditional cautions, (c) penalty notices for disorder and (d) criminal convictions in (i) England, (ii) Essex and (iii) Castle Point in each of the last five years. (278009)

[holding answer 11 June 2009]: Information showing the number of offenders cautioned for alcohol related offences in England and Essex from 2003 to 2007 is in Table 1.

Information relating to conditional cautions is not available separately. The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence.

A penalty notice for disorder (PND) may also be issued by the police for certain alcohol related offences such as being drunk and disorderly and drunk in a highway. The number of persons issued with a PND for alcohol related behaviour offences in England and Essex police force area, 2004 to 2007 (latest available) are given in Table 2. The PND scheme was implemented in all 43 police force areas in England and Wales in 2004.

The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for alcohol related offences in England and Essex, 2003 to 2007 is in Table 3. These figures relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

It is not possible to further breakdown data to constituency level (i.e. Castle Point) as this level of detail is not held centrally.

Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.

Table 1: Number of offenders1 cautioned for alcohol related offences in England and Essex police force area, 2003 to 20072,3,4

Area

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

England

17,565

12,995

8,054

5,408

5,656

Essex police force area

49

28

15

10

1 Includes offences under the: Licensing Act 1872 s.12; Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 ss.1(2)(3)(4) and 1A(2)(3)(4), 2(1)(2), 5B(2)(3), 5C(3)(4), 5D(2)(3), 6(2); Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act 1997 s.1; Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 ss.12, 17, 25(3)(a)(b), 25(4)(5), 32; Criminal Justice Act 1967 s.91; Licensing Act 1964 ss.5C(5), 6, 6, 19, 28(3), 34, 36, 39(1)(2)(3)(4), 45, 48, 51(4), 53, 59(1)(a)(b), 71(4), 72, 84, 85(2), 89, 155(1)(a), 157(1)(a)(b), 157(1)(b), 159, 160,(1)(a)(b), 161(1)(2), 162, 163, 164(1)(2), 165, 166(1)(a)(b), 167, 168A, 168(1)(2), 169A, 169B, 169C(1)(2)(3), 169E(1), 169F, 169G, 170, 171A(1), 172, 172A, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179A(6), 179B(5)(6), 179E(8), 179H(2), 181A(1)(2)(3), 183(1)(2)(3), 184, 185, 186,187(3)(4), 188, 193(7) Sch.8 Appendix C s. 6, Appendix D; Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 s.1; Licensing Act 2003 ss.33, 40, 41, 46, 49, 56, 57, 59, 82, 83, 93, 94, 96, 108, 109, 123, 127, 128, 132, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 147A, 148, 149(1)(3)(4)(7(a)(b), 150(1)(2), 151, 152, 153, 156, 157, 158, 160,161, 165,168, 179,197, Sch.8 paras 1 and 22; Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 ss.11, 27; Road Traffic Act 1991 s.3; Late Night Refreshment Houses Act 1969 ss.7(2), 8, 9(1)(4), 10; Town Police Clauses Act 1847 ss.35, 61; London Hackney Carriage Act 1843 s.28; Merchant Shipping Act 1995 s.101 (1)(a)(b), (4) and (5); Licensing Act 1902 ss.2, 6(2)(a)(b); Similar provisions in Local Acts; Road Traffic Act ss.4(1)(2) s.5(1)(a)(b), s.6(4), s.7(6); Road Traffic Act 1988 ss.3A, 7A as added by Police Reform Act 2002 s.56, Transport and Works Act 1992 s.31A as added by Police Reform Act 2002 s.52; Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 s.3 [Sch. Para. 2, 3(a)(b), 4(1)(2)(3), 5, 6, 7, 8(2), 9(2)]; Licensing Act 1988 s.17,18; Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994, s. 19; Children and Young Persons Act 1933 s.5; Criminal Justice Act 1996 s.6.

2 The cautions statistics cover simple and conditional cautions, reprimands and warnings. They relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence.

3 From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals.

4 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Source:

Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Evidence and Analysis Unit

Table 2: Number of penalty notices for disorder issued for alcohol related offences1 in England and Essex Police Force Area, 20042 to 20073

Area

2004

2005

2006

2007

England

28,679

40,886

48,270

53,170

Essex police force area

758

831

1,017

704

1 Includes offences under the:

Criminal Justice Act 1967 s.91;

Licensing Act 2003 s.141, 146(1)(3), 149(1)(3)(4), 150(1)(2), 151;

Licensing Act 1872 s.12;

Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 s.12.

2 The offence of being ‘drunk and disorderly’ moved from the lower tier (£50) to the upper tier (£80) on 1 November 2004; Sale of alcohol to a person under 18, Purchasing alcohol for a person under 18, Delivery of alcohol to a person under 18 or allowing such delivery, Consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 on relevant premises, Allowing consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 on relevant premises, were added to the scheme on 1 November 2004; Sale of alcohol to a drunken person, Buying or Attempting to buy alcohol by a person under 18, were added to the scheme with effect from 4 April 2005.

3 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Source:

Office for Criminal Justice Reform— Evidence and Analysis Unit

Table 3: Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for alcohol related offences1 in England and Essex police force area, 2003 to 20072,3

Area

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

England

104,840

101,039

94,614

94,338

93,564

Essex

2,570

2,813

2,536

2,745

2,579

1 Includes offences under the: Licensing Act 1872 s.12; Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 ss.1(2)(3)(4) and 1A(2)(3)(4), 2(1)(2), 5B(2)(3), 5C(3)(4), 5D(2)(3), 6(2); Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act 1997 s.1; Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 ss.12, 17, 25(3)(a)(b), 25(4)(5), 32; Criminal Justice Act 1967 s.91; Licensing Act 1964 ss.5C(5), 6, 6, 19, 28(3), 34, 36, 39(1)(2)(3)(4), 45, 48, 51(4), 53, 59(1)(a)(b), 71(4), 72, 84, 85(2), 89, 155(1)(a), 157(1)(a)(b), 157(1)(b), 159, 160,(1)(a)(b), 161(1)(2), 162, 163, 164(1)(2), 165, 166(1)(a)(b), 167, 168A, 168(1)(2), 169A, 169B, 169C(1)(2)(3), 169E(1), 169F, 169G, 170, 171A(1), 172, 172A, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179A(6), 179B(5)(6), 179E(8), 179H(2), 181A(1)(2)(3), 183(1)(2)(3), 184, 185, 186, 187(3)(4), 188, 193(7) Sch.8 Appendix C s. 6, Appendix D; Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 s.1; Licensing Act 2003 ss.33, 40, 41, 46, 49, 56, 57, 59, 82, 83, 93, 94, 96, 108, 109, 123, 127, 128, 132, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 147A, 148, 149(1)(3)(4)(7(a)(b), 150(1)(2), 151, 152, 153, 156, 157, 158, 160, 161, 165, 168, 179, 197, Sch.8 paras 1 and 22; Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 ss.11,27; Road Traffic Act 1991 s.3; Late Night Refreshment Houses Act 1969 ss.7(2), 8, 9(1)(4), 10; Town Police Clauses Act 1847 ss.35, 61; London Hackney Carriage Act 1843 s.28; Merchant Shipping Act 1995 s.101 (1)(a)(b), (4) and (5); Licensing Act 1902 ss.2, 6(2)(a)(b); Similar provisions in Local Acts; Road Traffic Act ss.4(1)(2) s.5(1)(a)(b), s.6(4), s.7(6); Road Traffic Act 1988 ss.3A, 7A as added by Police Reform Act 2002 s.56, Transport and Works Act 1992 S.31A as added by Police Reform Act 2002 s.52; Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 s.3 [Sch. Para. 2, 3(a)(b), 4(1)(2)(3), 5, 6, 7, 8(2), 9(2)]; Licensing Act 1988 s.17, 18; Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994, s.19; Children and Young Persons Act 1933 s.5; Criminal Justice Act 1996 s.6.

2 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

3 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Source:

Office for Criminal Justice Reform— Evidence and Analysis Unit