24-hour Drinking
The 24-hour drinking law is quite possibly the best piece of legislation introduced by Labour in the past decade. The fact that it is pretty much alone as good pieces of legislation is by-the-by in this instance.
There are claims that these laws have led to a trebling of drink-related treatment at A&E and that it, apparently, has led to a “surge” in early-morning violence.
In A&E attendance at St Thomas’ Hospital in Central London, in March 2005 there were 79 “drink-related” injuries (2.9% of the injuries), and a year later there were 250 (8%). First of all, that was more than a year ago and the article gives no comparable level for March 2007. Also, they were “defined as having an alcohol-related problem if they had drunk before going to hospital, or if they were intoxicated when examined or in their final diagnosis.” So their actual reason for going to A&E could have absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they had been drinking, but because they had it was included in this report as “alcohol-related”… Somehow I think that invalidates this report.
Whilst early-morning violence may have “surged” - “criminal damage and harassment between 3am and 6am rose sharply in the 12 months after the reforms came in” - the actual numbers have dropped, as “averages across the whole day were slightly down.” So, in fact, 24-hour drinking has caused fewer alcohol-fuelled crimes. A 22% jump between 3am and 6am, yes, but fewer overall. That this sort of alcohol-fuelled activity would occur at later times was obvious. As pubs and clubs stayed open for longer, then alcohol-related incidents would also obviously shift to a later time. That’s like having a 11-7 working day for lots of people and then being surprised that there was a far greater level of traffic at 7pm!
Also, never mind the hype, 24-hour drinking is still an urban legend. No licensed premises has that sort of licence, and I would be quite surprised if many ever did, and even if they had it, used it all that often. The 24-hour availability of alcohol is pretty much limited to 24-hour supermarkets.
Sources: The Times, The Telegraph
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