Ritchie welcomes legislation to control anti-social public drinking

Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie today welcomed the publication of draft legislation aimed at more effectively tackling anti-social drinking in designated public places.

The strengthened measures, which have the full backing of the Minister, are included in a draft Criminal Justice Order in Council, which has been published for public consultation by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO).

The new measures follow a review of the drinking in public bye-laws carried out by the Department for Social Development. However, as they involve criminal justice powers they are being taken forward by the NIO. Commenting on the new measures Margaret Ritchie said: “I know many people have voiced concerns that the existing drinking in public bye-laws do not provide the means to effectively deal with associated disorderly behaviour. This is fuelled by the inability to remove alcohol from troublesome and persistent offenders. The new measures will address this by enabling the police to take swift and effective action to immediately deal with the source of anti-social public drinking.”

In publicising the new policy measures the Minister stated “I fully welcome the proposed measures. Along with Paul Goggins I want to ensure that problematic public drinking can be tackled on the spot through providing the police with the power to remove the alcohol that is often at the heart of the problem.”

“The Review showed strong support for powers to remove alcohol from nuisance individuals or groups drinking in our public places. By allowing the police to confiscate alcohol from people drinking in designated areas, primarily where a nuisance is being created or there is the potential for disorder to occur, we can encourage people to fully enjoy our public places.”

The Minister advised that the measures included in the draft Order, which will be taken through Parliament following public consultation, “would also allow the police to issue fixed penalties of £50 to those who refuse, when required, to stop drinking or surrender alcohol in designated areas”. She noted that “in more serious cases those who fail to comply could be arrested. However, I would very much hope that the majority of cases can be easily resolved through the surrender of alcohol.” While it would no longer be an offence to drink alcohol in a designated public places the police would be provided with much stronger discretionary powers to require a person to stop drinking or hand over alcohol in these areas.

Notes to Editors:

1. All 26 district councils currently have bye-laws that make it an offence to drink alcohol in designated areas, also providing the police and councils with the power to take offenders’ details for prosecution proceedings by councils.

2. Under the new law councils would continue to designate problem areas. It would no longer be an offence to simply consume alcohol in a designated public place. Rather where a person is, has been, or intends to consume alcohol in a designated public place it would be an offence to refuse to comply with a requirement from the police:

(i) not to consume anything believed to be alcohol; and/or

(ii) to surrender anything in his possession reasonably believed to be alcohol.

3. The current bye-laws would lapse with new designations by councils or after three years, whichever occurs first. The new measures would bring the Northern Ireland law into line with the corresponding law in England and Wales.

4. The new measures are contained in the draft Criminal Justice Order in Council. This has been published by the Northern Ireland Office for consultation, which will end on 31 January 2008. Copies of the draft Order are available at www.nio.gov.uk.

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