Alcohol issues in the Havant Borough

The Safer Havant Partnership has used feedback from residents and detailed analysis of crime figures to select alcohol as one of their three main priorities for the year ahead.  Chief Inspector Will Schofield of Havant Police says “Alcohol can be a major factor in anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and nuisance and public place violent crime.'    

Recent news on alcohol issues

NEW:  Why Let Drink Decide?

The Government has launched a new national campaign that aims to raise awareness of how alcohol can make young people vulnerable to problems such as unwanted pregnancies, road traffic accidents and poor marks at school.  The campaign asks young people and their parents ‘Why Let Drink Decide?' and aims to help parents work with their children to establish a safe and sensible relationship with alcohol.

Although the number of children who drink alcohol is falling, those who do drink are consuming more, and making themselves more vulnerable. Parents have a huge influence on young people but some are unsure how to tackle the issue of alcohol, what age to start talking to their children or what rules there should be around young peoples' drinking.

The campaign recognises the importance of parental influence and aims to give parents the tools and support with which to talk to their children about alcohol.  In particular we want parents to start talking to their children about alcohol at an earlier age.  For young people, the campaign aims to equip them with the confidence and tactics to effectively manage their own relationship with alcohol.  Follow the link below for more information on the Why Let Drink Decide campaign:

External link to the Why Let Drink Decide campaign >>

Know Your Limits in the Havant Borough

In October and November 2009 the Safer Havant Partnership ran an innovative new campaign aimed at tackling binge-drinking and anti-social behaviour in the Havant Borough at the Meridian Centre and in two local colleges. 

As a reminder to local residents about the consequences of excessive drinking, eye-catching shop mannequins showing young men and women in a drunken state were placed in a shop window in Havant's Meridian Centre and in South Downs and Havant colleges.  The mannequins were accompanied by the message, 'You wouldn't start a night like this, so why end it that way?'

The Mayor of Havant, Councillor Jackie Branson, opened the display on the 19^th of October and commented: ‘I think it’s very eye-catching.  It makes you think – which is what it’s all about’.

The Safer Havant Partnership worked with the Home Office to organise this eye-catching campaign, which supports other work that agencies such as the police, council and fire service have been undertaking to deal with alcohol issues in the Havant Borough.  The Safer Havant Partnership aims to support young people by giving them with the advice they need to help them have a good night out and feel great the next day. 

The campaign supported work already being undertaken across Havant by the Safer Havant Partnership to further reduce alcohol related crime and disorder, including recent training for frontline workers to engage with young people around alcohol issues.  Follow the link for more information on alcohol issues in the Havant Borough:

Link to further information on alcohol issues in the Havant Borough >>

Link to a full evaluation of the Know Your Limits campaign >>

Tips for a great night out

• Eat before you go out, or early in the evening, to reduce the effects of your drinking
• Drink water regularly during the evening and before you go to bed
• Pace yourself with soft drinks - a tonic looks the same with or without vodka
• Don't try to keep up with friends who drink more than you - that's their choice
• Take a break if you think the drink is hitting you too quickly
• After a session of heavy drinking take a break for 48 hours to let your body recover

Hampshire Constabulary are focusing on drinking, drug use and driving over the Christmas period and have released a new poster warning of the dangers of mixing alcohol, drugs and driving.  500 people die every year as a result of a drink driving collision and one in seven of all road deaths are due to drink driving.  Follow the link below to view the new poster in full: 

Link to a full-sized version of Hampshire Constabulary's new poster >>

As part of October’s Alcohol Awareness Week, 120,000 alcohol awareness scratch cards have been distributed across Hampshire to encourage people to think about how much they are drinking and raise awareness on the health risks of drinking excessively.    

The Safer Havant Partnership has distributed 3000 scratch cards to local residents as part of their Know Your Limits campaign.  Cards are also available in doctor’s surgeries, pharmacies, dentists, job centres, gyms, pubs and community centres across the borough.

If you think you might be regularly exceeding the daily alcohol guidelines, why not keep a diary to check on how much you are drinking?  Follow the link below for an interactive version of the diary and help on cutting down your drinking or to have a paper copy of the diary posted to you:

External link to an interactive drink diary >>

Contact the Safer Havant Partnership to be sent a drinks diary >>

If your drinking is starting to worry you, please contact Alcoholics Anonymous by calling 0845 769 7555 or by following the link below:

External link to Alcoholics Anonymous website >>

Tackling street drinking in the Havant Borough with the Designated Public Places Order (DPPO)

The entire Havant Borough is now subject to an alcohol control order thanks to the work of the Safer Havant Partnership. This order empowers the Police, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and Accredited Community Support Officers (ASCOs) to remove alcohol from individuals involved in anti-social behaviour.  Follow the link below for more information about the order:

Link to more information about the Designated Public Places Order >>

New alcohol services launched in Hampshire December 2008

Hampshire Primary Care Trust is launching pilot alcohol services across the county this month.  Alcohol is a factor in one in every 16 NHS hospital admissions and in 12% of all recorded crimes in Hampshire.  Hampshire PCT is committed to working with its partners, such as Hampshire County Council, local authorities and Hampshire Police, to ensure new and better services are in place across the county to help people who misuse alcohol.

Neil Luckett, health improvement alcohol lead for Hampshire Primary Care Trust explained: 'We will be providing new services through GPs and through community-based services, which have up to now been focused on drugs rather than alcohol.  We will also be employing specialist alcohol nursing support in a hospital emergency department and providing new alcohol intervention support for men in Winchester Prison'   

Figures from the Department of Health show that simple alcohol advice would result in 250,000 men and 67,500 women reducing their drinking levels from hazardous and harmful levels to low risk each year.