Binge drinkers arrested for alcohol related offences in nine police force areas across the country will be compelled to face up to the consequences of their drinking, Home Office minister Alan Campbell announced today.

The Home Office is providing an additional £1 million to police and drug and alcohol teams for the roll-out of nine new alcohol arrest referral projects.

Under the scheme, offenders arrested for alcohol-related offences are referred to alcohol specialists who, over one or two sessions, assess the offender's drinking behaviour, the health risks to the individual and provide help and advice on reducing their alcohol consumption.

Those with more complex alcohol misuse problems, and who are given a conditional caution, can be referred to more in-depth advice sessions. If they do not attend these advice sessions, they can be prosecuted for the original offence.

The new pilots, backed by local police and alcohol reduction charities, will take place in north-east Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Cleveland, Bristol, Swindon, Leicestershire and Rutland, Stoke on Trent, Cumbria and Islington.

Alan Campbell said: ‘Most people enjoy drinking sensibly but those who drink excessively and cause trouble should expect to face up to the consequences.

‘The alcohol arrest referral sessions are not an easy option. They aim to cut re-offending and so make our towns and city centres more pleasant places by making offenders realise their mistakes.

‘Working with police and industry the government will continue to do all it can to help ensure people can enjoy alcohol in a way that is safe, sensible and social.’

A typical alcohol referral could involve the following:

An adult has been binge drinking. They are arrested for being drunk and disorderly and taken into custody

Police in the custody suite judge that alcohol played a part in the fact that the person committed the offence and that they might benefit from advice about safer drinking

A resident alcohol specialist gives the person advice about unit strengths, the effects of alcohol on the body and strategies for reducing the risk of offending.

These nine new pilots will build on four existing referral projects funded by the Home Office in Liverpool, Manchester, Cheshire and Ealing.

The nine new additional projects will allow for a more effective evaluation of how these interventions combat alcohol-related crime and disorder.

They will also consider the impact this can have on re-offending rates.

In Gloucestershire, the re-offending rate for those who attended two sessions was halved in the following year. If the projects prove successful after the first year, more money will be provided until April 2010.

The Home Office selected the nine areas on the basis that they had either particularly high rates of alcohol related crime and disorder, or where drug and alcohol action teams had an established track record of working with police and other partners to tackle crime.

Mike Craik, ACPO lead chief constable for alcohol licensing and chief constable of Northumbria police said: ‘The importance of early intervention to break persistent offenders out of the cycle of drink-fuelled offending cannot be overstated.

‘ACPO welcomes this new initiative and the compelling initial evidence from Gloucestershire. This trial will be an important step in terms of crime prevention and the compulsory attendance of offenders will, I am sure, maximise our chances of making a real difference.’

Inspector Katherine Barber, Strategic Drugs and Alcohol lead for Cleveland police said: ‘The alcohol arrest referral pilot has been enthusiastically welcomed by the police in Cleveland who see first hand the devastation caused by alcohol-related crime.

‘This innovative scheme gives the opportunity for real practical help and support at the time the offender needs it. In many circumstances already we have seen interventions having a very positive effect on individuals' motivation to change.’

SCHEME IN DETAIL
Offenders arrested for alcohol related crimes in each of the nine police force areas will be compelled to attend an alcohol referral session within one week of being arrested.

At the first session offenders will learn about alcohol unit strengths, health effects of excessive drinking and the connection between their drinking and offending behaviour.

In the second session, alcohol specialists will review the offender's drinking behaviour, assess the impact that this has on work, friends and family, and discuss ways of reducing their needs of alcohol consumption.

Arrest referral will make no difference to whether someone is charged or not charged with committing an offence.

The Government's alcohol strategy - Safe. Sensible. Social. The next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy - set out the intention to investigate whether alcohol arrest referrals would reduce offending among those arrested for alcohol related offences; investigate how referral projects could be established to provide appropriate and effective interventions in an efficient manner; and increase the number of conditional cautions that have alcohol referral attendance as a condition.