The number of persons issued with a penalty notice for disorder for drunk and disorderly related offences in England and Wales, from 2004 to 2008 is provided in the following table.
Offences 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Drunk and disorderly offences Penalty notices for disorder 29,106 40,176 46,268 49,062 45,849 1 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 more severe. 2 Data include the following offence descriptions and corresponding statutes: Being found drunk in a highway or other Public place whether a building or not, or a licensed premises. Licensing Act 1872 Sec 12. Any person who in any public place is guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour. Criminal Justice Act 1967 Sec.91. 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: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice Ref: IOS 60-10