Youngsters will be used in sting operations to catch shopkeepers and bar owners selling alcohol to under-age boozers as part of a vast operation to try to end Britain's violent binge-drinking culture.
"We're aiming to kick start a culture change where it will be less accepted by society for young men and women to go out and drink until they can't remember who they are," junior public security minister Hazel Blears said Thursday as the campaign was launched.
The operation comes amid concerns that many British city centers are turning into virtual no-go areas on weekend nights by gangs of drunken youths roaming the streets.
Alcohol-related violence accounts for 44 percent of all violent crime in Britain, officials say. And excessive drinking accounts for seven out 10 people admitted to hospital on weekend nights.
Binge-drinking is a hugely popular pastime for young Britons of all classes, consisting of downing large amounts of alcohol before being thrown out of pubs at the 11 pm standard closing time.
The new campaign will focus on those who sell alcohol to under-18s, bars and clubs which promote irresponsible and rowdy behavior, and drunken youths who cause violence on weekend nights.
Youngsters aged under 18 will be sent in to buy goods from premises and catch offending businesses, police said.
Drunkards will have to pay an on-the-spot penalty of ?40, while "rowdy" establishments will be "named and shamed" and shut down for 24 hours.
In more serious cases, the police will take away the alcohol licence of the establishment whose clients cause disturbances, even after they leave the pub.
Seventy-seven areas in England and Wales are being targeted in the eight-week crackdown, which is a joint initiative between the police and government.
After the initial period the government plans to assess the results before conducting more such operations in its bid to rein in Britain's youth.
Many commentators however believe the binge-drinking problem could get worse when opening hours are relaxed next year, a move that comes after decades of debate on the 11pm closing time that was imposed during World War I.
But a culture ministry spokeswoman said Thursday that staggered closing times will help "prevent the violence and disorder that can arise from large numbers of people pouring out of pubs and clubs on to the streets at the same time, competing for the same services."
The government may also impose minimum prices for alcohol in a bid to crack down on sales campaigns by drink companies that see booze prices slashed.
It could also tackle so-called "happy hours" in pubs that some say encourage young people to drink cheap booze more quickly during set hours.
Alcohol consumption is increasingly steadily among Britons, particularly among women. But Britain ranks only in 12th position in European booze consumption tables.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
RSS