Aberdeen police are being called to fewer crimes in the city’s pubs and clubs- but have warned of the dangers of drinking at home.
New figures presented to yesterday’s licensing board revealed that there were 775 incidents in premises from last April 1-March 31.
In the same period, the previous year there were 1,058 incidents logged.
Now officers are now turning their attention to finding legal ways to tackle crimes associated with drinking at home.
Police told the licensing committee that the challenge of off-sales as “an elephant in the room” and admitted there are few legal ways to tackle the issue, and that they will need the cooperation of retailers.
Three premises in the city were monitored by police over the period – due to “significantly high incidences of violence on the premises or perceived management shortcomings”- again a reduction from eight the previous year.
A report to councillors reads: “Any police officer who attends an incident at a licensed premises is expected to submit a concise report via the InnKeeper system, particularly when the incident involves violence, disorder, anti-social behaviour, drunkenness, drug misuse, underage drinking, breaches of licensing legislation or any other matter that might impact on public safety.
“Within the reporting period, there were 775 incidents connected to licensed premises within Aberdeen recorded on the InnKeeper system.
“This is a significant reduction from 1058 the previous reporting year and we view this positively.
“The level of engagement from within the Aberdeen licensed trade is very good and in many instances, this approach reduces recurrence or escalation.”
Board convener Marie Boulton hailed the report and said she hoped that strategies to promote “responsible drinking” was having an effect.
She said: “It’s really good to see we are making progress.
“We have all seen the risks associated with off-sales and it would be great to find some sort of solution, for which you have the full backing of this board.
“I have been on the board for 12 years, and you used to hear that people didn’t want to go out in town late on Saturday nights because of the disorder.
“We are perhaps beginning to see the fruits of our labour in encouraging a more responsible drinking culture in the city.”
