Government to announce new criminal offence aimed at habitual teen drinkers

The proposed law will mean that if police catch under-18s drinking in public and move them on, they will be able to arrest them if they later find them drinking on a nearby street or estate. Courts will be encouraged to prosecute the parents too.

According TimesOnline, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith  will tomorrow (Monday) announce a criminal offence aimed at youths persistently caught in possession of alcohol in public places. The move is part of the Youth Alcohol Action plan, the latest attempt by the government  to address growing public disquiet about antisocial behaviour and violence among the young.

Home Office figures released this weekend show that 21% of 11 to 15-year-olds drink regularly. The average amount consumed by persistent young drinkers has “increased sharply” and is now double the number of units consumed in 1990.

Courts will be encouraged to prosecute parents whose children are repeatedly caught drinking in public. There will be a greater use of parenting orders, under which parents have to attend formal classes in how to look after their children.

The plan will also make it easier to remove the licences of shopkeepers who sell drink to under-18s. Evidence suggests that children aged 10 to 15 who have been drunk once a month or more in the past year were twice as likely to commit a crime as those who had not been drinking. Under the plans, teachers will be told to look out for pupils with hangovers and to refer repeat offenders to clinics or counsellors.

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