Alcohol sales ban success
A scheme where three off-licences in Radcliffe refused to serve alcohol to anyone under 21 on Friday and Saturday nights for a month has seen a 65% reduction in alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.
But shops in Bingham have given a mixed reaction about the benefits of introducing such a scheme in the town.
The Co-operative, Spar and Wine Rack on Main Road, Radcliffe, did not serve alcohol to under-21s between 4pm and closing time on Fridays and Saturdays for a trial period, which ended on Friday.
The shops agreed to take part in the trial after South Nottinghamshire police noted that a significant proportion of rowdy and nuisance behaviour was fuelled by people aged under 18 drinking alcohol, which is often bought for them by someone just over the age limit.
In the four weekends leading up to the initiative, there were 22 reports of rowdy or nuisance behaviour, which includes street drinking and damage, in the village.
During the four weeks that the scheme ran there were eight calls.
The Local Area Commander for Rushcliffe South, Inspector Jeff Haywood, said: “I am pleased that the initiative has had such an impact in reducing the number of complaints about alcohol related anti-social behaviour over what is traditionally a very busy period.
“These results indicate an improvement in the quality of life for the community of Radcliffe.
“It is a good example of what can be achieved by working with partners, combined with using robust traditional policing methods.”
The manager of Sainsburys in Bingham, Miss Christelle Fagnon, said: “It will be a good idea. I would be all for it. It would help us as well as helping the town.
“We are experiencing some issues. We have refused to serve quite a few people at weekends.
But it’s quite difficult to know whether they are going to be passing it on to underage drinkers.”
The manager of Oddbins, in Eaton Place, Mrs Jo Knight, said: “We already operate an under-21 policy so if someone looks under the age of 21 we ask them for identification. It’s something I would definitely think about.”
But the manager of Bingham’s Co-operative store, Mr Mark Newton, said he was worried that if the ban was introduced in the town, then it may cause problems for his staff.
He said they had received a lot of abuse from some customers when the legal minimum age at which tobacco could be bought went up 16 to 18 last year.
He said: “It’s just calmed down. They were getting trouble just for doing their job.
“People who are old enough to drink but under the age of 21 may be insulting to the staff.
“Not everyone that age is up to no good though. They might just want to have a bottle of wine and sit in at home.
However, Mr Newton said he would consider introducing the ban if other shops in the town were going to do it.
He said when he previously managed the branch’s store in Lowdham he introduced a similar scheme for two weeks on the same nights but raised the age to 25.
Mr Newton said he was not sure there was a need for such a ban in Bingham though and that any anti-social behaviour in the town was controlled well by the police.
Increased patrols at key times are ongoing in Radcliffe and licensing visits will continue. Parents will still be sent letters if their child is caught in the area where an incident of anti-social behaviour has been reported.