Alcohol is behind 40% of all violent crime in Lancashire

Alcohol is behind 40% of all violent crime in Lancashire, figures show today. Almost a quarter of people arrested in Lancashire were drunk at the time of arrest – but at weekends this could be as much as 80%.In the first 10 months of 2007, 21,133 violent crimes were recorded within Lancashire – and police say 8,453 of them were directly linked to alcohol.The figures come two months after Preston city centre's police inspector said Church Street was the most dangerous street in Lancashire, with more recorded violent crime than anywhere else in the county.Today , Chief Insp James Lee of Preston Police, said that binge drinking is the biggest trigger behind crime."Alcohol is a big problem in violent crime and other types of crime, and the biggest factor in alcohol-fuelled violent crime is not underage drinking but binge drinking."We know that offers like two-for-ones, often seen in Preston, can further the problem. We have a particular problem with adults who buy for children and we will be dealing with this issue."Kath Thomas, chief executive of Victim Support Lancashire, said: "People who have gone for a quiet drink and end up being assaulted often lose out on their compensation payout because they have had a drink themselves."A spokesman at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "A&E departments are blighted by problems fuelled by drink, including injuries from fights following excessive drinking."Drinking, and in particular binge drinking, is becoming a favourite pastime. Unless people begin to drink more moderately, the NHS will continue to see a rise in admissions resulting from alcohol."In January, Judge Christopher Cornwall said a booze-fuelled attack on prison officer Paul Ely in Preston city cent
re "illustrates the appalling high price the community pays for the free availability of alcohol".Sentencing Lee Campbell for throwing the punch that wrecked Mr Ely's life, the judge said the case highlighted the terrible consequences of drink-fuelled violence.However, police in Preston insist that violent crime is falling. In the three-month period from November 2006 to January 2007, police recorded 254 incidents of violent crime – but in the same period 12 months later, this fell to 234.
The new policing plan, due to be revealed soon, is expected to focus on violent crime issues.