NationStates Jolt Archive

dontchya just lurve those long yahoo news links? (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20070719/tuk-drink-laws-blamed-for-violent-crime-dba1618.html)

Drink laws blamed for violent crime
ITN
ITN - 1 hour 21 minutes ago

The Government's 24-hour drinking laws have been condemned as "reckless" after new figures showed violence has increased at night following the changes.

Home Office data revealed there were 940,522 violent crimes, cases of disorder and criminal damage committed from 6pm to 6am in the year after 24-hour licensing, up 7,000 on the previous 12 months.

Between 3am and 6am there was a 22 per cent leap in alcohol-fuelled crime year-on-year, although averages across the whole day showed a slight dip.

Separate figures from the British Crime Survey (BCS) also showed there were 1,087,000 violent incidents in 2006-07 where the victim believed their attacker had been drinking.

The BCS showed violent crime rose by 5 per cent last year, although officials insisted the figure was "not statistically significant".

The number of robberies recorded by police in England and Wales also rose 3 per cent to 101,370 - the highest level for three years.

Causing death by dangerous driving or while under the influence of drink or drugs also reached its highest level for 30 years, with 462 cases in the year, up 7 per cent.

Recorded crime figures also showed a 9 per cent rise in drugs offences to 194,300.

It included a 9 per cent rise in possession of cannabis to 130,000 incidents, which Home Office statistics experts said was due to the police handing out more warnings to users following the drug's reclassification to class C.

Good grief...is anyone really shocked? If they then HEEEELLLLLLOOOOO!!!!

Hogarth anyone?

http://www.artoftheprint.com/jpegimages/hogarth_william_ginlane.jpg

I love the fact that they announced this today with genuine surprise, as if it seemed to defy logic that selling alcohol more would increase drinking, not decrease it.

*scratches head*

Ermm didn't even the Romans complain that we drank too much and fought a bit because of this, like the scoundrels we are?

There was a certain amount of logic that by removing the situation where everyone was leaving pubs and clubs etc at the same time you'd cut out the aggro. But i can't say I'm hugely surprised that it didn't work.

Well, that is news....

*scratches head*

Ermm didn't even the Romans complain that we drank too much and fought a bit because of this, like the scoundrels we are?

Well rather!

Hogarth does quite capture the moment wouldn't you say?

DRINK OLD ENGLAND DRY

Now come, me brave boys, as I've told you before
Come drink, me brave boys, and we'll boldly call for more
For the French they've invited us and they say that they will try
Will try
They say that they will come and drink old England dry

Aye, dry, aye dry, me boys, aye, dry
They say they will come over and drink Old England dry.

Supposin' we should meet with the Germans by the way
Ten thousand to one we will show them British play
With our swords and our cutlasses, we'll fight until we die
We die
Before that they shall come and drink old England dry

DRINK OLD ENGLAND DRY

Now come, me brave boys, as I've told you before
Come drink, me brave boys, and we'll boldly call for more
For the French they've invited us and they say that they will try
Will try
They say that they will come and drink old England dry

Aye, dry, aye dry, me boys, aye, dry
They say they will come over and drink Old England dry.

Supposin' we should meet with the Germans by the way
Ten thousand to one we will show them British play
With our swords and our cutlasses, we'll fight until we die
We die
Before that they shall come and drink old England dry

HUZZAH!!!!

/Quaffs a pint

HUZZAH!!!!

/Quaffs a pint

aye a good song

It was bloody obvious this was going to happen when the government announced it. I imagine their heads were filled with ideas that we'd become more civilised over night as soon as the 24hrs drinking thing came into play.

Of course we didn't!

Not that I, as a student, can complain. :p

keeps me in a job, so long may it continue!

Right, I'm off to the pub, anyone coming with me?:eek:

We are not french, the government must realise this by now!

Could be worse, they could have decided on, say, 36 hour opening times.

*wanders off, swaying and hiccoughing*