Police launch booze harm campaign

The national campaign, In Focus: Alcohol Harm, will run over five days and is being led by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

As part of the campaign the Derbyshire police Twitter feed will be used to tweet about alcohol-related incidents they have attended and the impact those calls have on the police.

The force will be using #alcoholharm on the @DerbysPolice Twitter feed on Friday, September 20 to tell the public about a variety of incidents from across the county they attended during the previous night.

Officers will work with security and bar staff to provide training on vulnerability, and licensees will be able to speak to officers directly during an online surgery about any issues or concerns they have.

Licensees can log on to the Derbyshire Constabulary website today (Wednesday, September 18) between 11am and 2pm and speak directly to specially trained officers about any concerns they have.

Enforcement action will also take place during the week and licensing teams will be working with partners to carry out visits at problem premises.

Young people, particularly new students, will be spoken to by officers to raise awareness about the types of alcohol-related incidents police have to deal with as well as being given advice on staying safe on a night out.

Superintendent Gary Parkin, who leads on alcohol issues for the force, said: “Police are all too often having to care for people who have failed to take care of themselves.

“Drinking so much that you can’t think clearly makes you vulnerable and more likely to become a victim of crime, be injured or be involved in violence.

“Don’t be a drain on police time because you’ve had too much to drink. Take responsibility for yourself.

“We need to put officers on the streets to keep people safe and prevent crimes from occurring as well as responding when they do. If we need to respond to high numbers of alcohol-related calls our police officers are unable to do all the other things that the public want them to prioritise.”