Witney News - Licking alcohol-related crime into shape

Licking alcohol-related crime into shape

Licensed premises in Witney will try to keep their drinkers sweet by handing them free lollipops as they leave their premises in a bid to reduce alcohol-related crime.

The West Oxfordshire Community Safety Partnership has issued the lollipops to pubs and nightclubs in the town following research that shows that sugar content helps to stabilise the
behaviour of those who have consumed alcohol. This should, in turn, reduce the chance of disorder and crime that often occurs in public places following excessive drinking.

"Lollipops have been successfully used by Forces elsewhere in the country to help to reduce alcohol-fuelled disorder and we hope it produces the same result in Witney," explain Dennis Evernden, West Oxfordshire Local Area Commander. "The sugar rush has been shown to lower aggressive behaviour and to also reduce the level of noise from people shouting and swearing. We have handed 5,000 lollipops to licensed premises in Witney and will be monitoring the results."

The lollipops, which come in four different flavours, feature the Nightsafe logo. Nightsafe, which aims to reduce alcohol-related violent crime and disorder, was launched in West Oxfordshire less than a year ago when the Licensing Act 2003 was introduced. Since then the scheme has included test purchasing operations for underage drinkers, the introduction of the CCTV system in Witney
and the launch of 'Wasted Nights' to high school students.