Alcohol-fuelled crimes reduced by 7,500

MORE than 7,500 fewer alcohol-fuelled crimes were committed between February and August 2003, compared with the same period in 2002, garda statistics show.

However, the drop is from a very high base and the number of such crimes is still at an unacceptably high level, according to garda and medical experts.

“What I would hope is that all the various methods to try and reduce alcohol use may be kicking in a little bit,” said Rolande Anderson of the Irish College of General Practitioners. “I would not like to overstate that, because we still have a massive problem, particularly with the young age group.”

The figures show a 17% fall in the number of offences between February to August 2002 and the same period in 2003.

Gardaí say that the figures show a real decline in incidents as the level of garda resources given to the operation has remained the same throughout the period.

“The decrease is to be welcomed. It shows the effects of Operation Encounter since it came in, it’s beginning to work,” said garda spokesman Superintendent John Farrelly. However, he added: “It’s still too much. There are still too many committing these offences.”

Overall, more than 118,000 offences were detected in the 18 months between February 2002 and August 2003, outside pubs, nightclubs and fast-food outlets under Operation Encounter.

This included more than 48,000 cases of public drunkenness, almost 32,000 incidents of threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour and around 7,000 further cases of disorderly conduct.

“I think this is to do with the style of drinking,” said Mr Anderson.

“Young people are drinking to get drunk, that’s quite worrying. Often people are not just drunk, they’re out of their mind drunk. That’s of great concern.”

More than 13,000 assaults were detected, including 4,000 assaults causing harm and 190 assaults causing serious harm and injury. The figures fell over the 18 months with 3,995 assaults from February to August, 2003, compared with 5,123 in the same period in 2002, a fall of 22%.

“Any one of those assaults represents serious grief to those persons and their families,” said Mr Anderson. “Any alcohol-related assault is just not good enough.”

In addition, some 650 incidents of publicans selling alcohol or allowing alcohol to be consumed were recorded.

Gardaí also recorded almost 1,800 cases of underage drinking.

“We are talking in terms of an epidemic for young people in relation to acute liver damage because of the previous decade,” said Mr Anderson.

“The message is we’ve got to keep at it.