Gavin Foster reports:  The Isle of Wight Council and Hampshire Constabulary are joining forces with off-licenses in Ryde in a new initiative to tackle alcohol-related anti-social behaviour in the town.
Fifteen off-licences, from specialist stores to supermarkets, will refuse to sell alcohol to anyone aged under 21 on Friday and Saturdays from May 23rd 2008.

It is the first time such a formal project will have been introduced to the Island and the scheme it is also thought to be the first introduced in Hampshire.

Though alcohol can legally be purchased by anyone aged 18 or over, the council’s environmental health team and police hope the tighter voluntary regulation will help stop problems currently being caused by drunken youths.

Police are concerned about the levels of violent crime in Ryde and Home Office figures suggest 44 per cent of violence can be attributed to alcohol.

It is against this backdrop that the new scheme is being launched. From the 23rd May alcohol sales will be restricted to over 21s from 3pm to closing time on Fridays and Saturdays, the days when drink-related crime is most common.

The scheme is the latest in a line of steps taken by the council, police and partners to address the problem of alcohol-related crime in Ryde.

A DPPO (Designated Public Place Order) has effectively been introduced and the police have carried out numerous joint enforcement visits to licensed premises. Test purchasing has also been undertaken by police and council trading standards officers. Radios are in place in Ryde pubs and off licences to ensure effective communication with emergency services and other radio users.

Cllr Diana Tuson, IW Council cabinet member for safer communities, praised the role played off-licences in the latest initiative:

“This is another example of the council working with its partners to effectively tackle issues of concerns to both our organisations and also to residents,” she said.

“What is particularly pleasing about this project is how the off licences themselves have also supported it. We know from our test purchasing exercises that the vast majority of off-licences are extremely responsible and this is further - and very welcome - evidence of that.”

PC Adrian Cleightonhills said:

“Already our new powers under the DPPO scheme allow us to confiscate alcohol from people drinking in public places, which we know can lead to anti-social behaviour. We know that much of this alcohol consumed by minors has been supplied by friends or relatives who are aged between 18 and 21.
 
“By depriving these youths of off-licence sales, we hope to promote responsible drinking and stop alcohol consumption in such high levels on the streets of Ryde, which is good news for their own health and safety and also for the wider community.”
IWC Media Gavin Foster:  Isle of Wight Community News @Island Pulse.

By Friday: May 16th, 2008 at 10:37 am. ©Island Pulse.