Melbourne Nightlife Blog

06 March, 2008

Britain's 24-hour drinking causing an increase in violence

In the three years after the 2005 introduction of more relaxed drinking laws in Britan, there has been an overall 4% increase in crimes reported between 3am and 6am, the Herald Sun reports. British Culture Secretary Andy Burnham claimed this was most likely a result of drink-fuelled offences.

The softer drinking laws were enacted to try and stop a rapidly increasing alcohol-related death rate - 6.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 1991 increased to 12.9 deaths per 100,000 people by 2005. The laws have seen a "slight fall" in the nation's overall alcohol consumption since 2005, but concern about an embedded binge drinking culture remain.

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