Alcohol Fuelled Violence in Lancashire

According to statistics from Lancashire Constabulary, alcohol is behind 40% of all crime in Lancashire, a figure which has risen in recent years.

A growing concern amongst politicians and citizens alike is the threat of street violence, fuelled by drinking. A survey conducted by Portman group found that a quarter of all adults in Lancashire claim to have been a victim of alcohol-related street violence.

The latest story to hit our newspapers is that attack of schoolgirl Jessica Knight who was stabbed 20 times in a park whilst walking home from school in Chorley. The accused, Kristofer Beddar, had reportedly drank half a bottle of whisky before the incident took place and has said in court “you can do silly things” after drinking.

Luckily, Jessica survived the attack, but has been left with long term psychological and physical damage.

It isn’t just innocent civilians who are at risk of attack from intoxicated members of the public, but those in the service industry as well. Taxi drivers, hospital and ambulance staff and policemen are amongst those who are suffering abuse, both verbal and physical. Last year 56,000 NHS staff were assaulted and yet less than one in 50 lead to prosecution.

But what is being done to prevent this? A Chorley hospital has embarked on a prevention scheme by joining forces with the local pubwatch organisation to ban drunk patients who attack NHS staff from local pubs. This is aiming to be a deterrent for people and will encourage them to think twice about behaving aggressively toward a member of staff.

A report earlier this year blamed the smoking ban for increased violence on the streets. According to the report, having smokers on the street makes them vulnerable to violence as people go out looking for a fight and will target the nearest available person, in this case, smokers outside pubs and clubs.

It’s not only violence that’s an issue but the nation’s health is at risk too. Alcohol related deaths are on the increase, in recent years, UK figures of alcohol related deaths have increased significantly, particularly amongst males. Between 1991 and 2004, the figure for deaths per 100,000 of the population in men rose from 9.1 to 17.6 (Source Office for National Statistics).

Taking a local slant on this, Blackpool is amongst the worst in the UK for deaths resulting from alcohol consumption, with the 9^th highest rate out of 426 districts in the UK. Blackburn with Darwen, Preston and Fylde were also listed in the top 50 worst areas across the UK (Source Office for National Statistics).

This map shows victims of alcohol fuelled attacks that have occured in Lancashire

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