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Crime: Drinking

Volume 709: debated on Wednesday 22 April 2009

Question

Asked by

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many convictions for drinking offences of persons aged (a) 18 or under, and (b) 18–25, there were in each Police Authority area in (1) 2000, (2) 2004, and (3) 2008. [HL2771]

The number of persons found guilty at all courts for selected drinking offences in England and Wales, by age group, police force area and period are given in table 1.

The number of persons issued with a penalty notice for disorder (PND) for selected drinking offences by age group (data are available for persons aged 16 and over), police force area and period are given in table 2. The PND scheme was implemented in all 43 police force areas in England and Wales in 2004.

Information relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Office respectively.

Data are given in the tables for 2000, 2004 and 2007 (latest available). Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.

Table 1: The number of persons found guilty for selected drinking offences(1) in England and Wales, by age group and period(2) (3)

Age 10-17Age 18-25

Police force area

2000

2004

2007

2000

2004

2007

Avon and Somerset

11

14

31

115

134

56

Bedfordshire

9

12

10

52

33

22

Cambridgeshire

6

15

10

42

35

21

Cheshire

44

55

25

217

167

51

City of London

-

-

-

7

5

4

Cleveland

47

45

21

251

208

40

Cumbria

42

44

51

201

204

136

Derbyshire

17

41

18

99

126

93

Devon and Cornwall

53

84

96

231

130

167

Dorset

19

9

22

156

56

36

Durham

48

48

74

184

170

67

Essex

53

26

9

215

43

54

Gloucestershire

10

7

3

55

56

14

Greater Manchester

85

36

28

330

119

94

Hampshire

71

78

31

456

210

88

Hertfordshire

22

15

2

162

147

10

Humberside

20

25

12

75

42

17

Kent

69

114

65

317

426

95

Lancashire

139

83

91

691

263

216

Leicestershire

1

-

3

7

9

12

Lincolnshire

21

37

4

179

166

25

Merseyside

160

102

85

623

400

385

Metropolitan Police

55

55

39

375

230

172

Norfolk

4

5

11

48

33

33

North Yorkshire

25

19

26

176

66

65

Northamptonshire

3

3

4

4

8

4

Northumbria

299

394

479

1,500

1,733

1,887

Nottinghamshire

16

11

10

152

74

71

South Yorkshire

96

93

38

402

392

187

Staffordshire(4)

-

19

16

-

65

49

Suffolk

17

31

3

91

135

34

Surrey

19

21

5

152

103

34

Sussex

37

38

38

157

149

118

Thames Valley

36

41

15

359

271

74

Warwickshire

13

8

10

95

41

14

West Mercia

27

51

42

165

151

194

West Midlands

24

28

69

115

83

342

West Yorkshire

96

46

124

493

193

395

Wiltshire

18

22

2

108

112

21

Dyfed-Powys

7

14

15

82

83

56

Gwent

28

20

37

132

93

114

North Wales

49

36

22

292

174

65

South Wales

71

74

20

423

314

58

Total

1,887

1,919

1,716

9,986

7,652

5,690

(1) Includes the following statutes and offence descriptions:

Licensing Act 2003 s.150(1).

Individual aged under 18 knowingly consuming alcohol.

Criminal Justice Act 1967 s.91.

Being guilty while drunk of disorderly behaviour.

Licensing Act 1872 s.12.

Being found drunk in a highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or on licensed premises.

Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 s.12 Alcohol consumption in designated public places.

(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 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.

(4) Staffordshire Police Force was only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.

Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence & Analysis Unit.

[Ref: IOS 203-09].

Table 2: The number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) issued to persons for selected drinking offences(1) In England and Wales, by age group and period (2)(3)

Age 16-17Age 18-25

Police force area

2004

2007

2004

2007

Avon and Somerset

-

17

100

134

Bedfordshire

13

21

58

137

British Transport Police

**

31

**

275

Cambridgeshire

1

22

106

200

Cheshire

39

38

193

300

City of London

-

1

11

108

Cleveland

38

44

181

250

Cumbria

22

15

223

403

Derbyshire

27

79

214

384

Devon and Cornwall

-

95

605

962

Dorset

4

14

43

104

Durham

7

4

280

543

Essex

41

28

367

245

Gloucestershire

23

16

136

56

Greater Manchester

8

68

198

201

Hampshire

18

55

656

345

Hertfordshire

19

28

116

179

Humberside

57

65

294

374

Kent

14

158

309

1,119

Lancashire

224

561

1,418

2,930

Leicestershire

1

10

45

222

Lincolnshire

6

5

100

40

Merseyside

222

336

1,382

1,856

Metropolitan Police

61

85

1,779

1,386

Norfolk

2

8

38

141

Northamptonshire

17

33

144

213

Northumbria

-

279

81

2,735

North Yorkshire

1

80

229

578

Nottinghamshire

32

34

250

348

South Yorkshire

107

237

909

1,552

Staffordshire

36

38

235

214

Suffolk

4

4

174

51

Surrey

2

20

64

150

Sussex

76

79

490

845

Thames Valley

11

12

241

201

Warwickshire

9

11

142

66

West Mercia

4

44

95

360

West Midlands

85

222

767

2,011

West Yorkshire

71

190

457

1,496

Wiltshire

7

25

219

167

Dyfed-Powys

14

13

96

133

Gwent

6

16

76

111

North Wales

56

138

381

610

South Wales

1

25

48

176

Total

1,386

3,304

13,950

24,911

(1) Includes the following statutes and offence descriptions:

Licensing Act 2003 s.150(1).

Individual aged under 18 knowingly consuming alcohol.

Criminal Justice Act 1967 s.91.

Being guilty while drunk of disorderly behaviour.

Licensing Act 1872 s.12.

Being found drunk in a highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or on licensed premises.

Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 s.12 Alcohol consumption in designated public places.

(2) 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 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.

(3) The PND scheme was implemented in all 43 police force areas in 2004.

** Not applicable. The British Transport Police started issuing PNDs on 1st March 2006.

Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Evidence & Analysis Unit.

[Ref: IOS203-09]