Police criticise under-21 drink ban

FRESH doubt was cast on ministerial plans to raise the age limit for off-sales to 21 last night when it emerged that the police do not believe the scheme is workable.

The Scottish Police Service has written to the Scottish Government, warning that its proposal to raise the age limit from 18 to 21 is wrong and will be ineffective.

Scotland's senior police officers have told ministers they believe that other parts of the Scottish Government's alcohol strategy will help in tackling Scotland's binge-drinking culture, but not the new age-limit scheme.

Opposition from the police follows similar criticism from students, retailers – some of whom demonstrated at Holyrood – and from all the opposition parties in the parliament, who came together last week to vote against the proposal.

Ministers insisted after last week's vote that they would continue to pursue the plans but the intervention of Scotland's police officers – in their official response to the Scottish Government's consultation – now makes it much harder for ministers to get their plans approved.

The idea of raising the age limit to 21 for off-sales is a central part of the SNP's alcohol strategy. Other parts include: separate aisles for alcohol sales in shops; curbs on advertising; bans on giveaway promotions; and a social-responsibility fee, charging retailers for some of the damage done by drinkers.

According to the results of the consultation process, published yesterday, the plans have attracted a mixed response.

Some organisations, notably health trusts, drug and alcohol campaigners and health experts, supported all the Scottish Government's proposals.

On the other side, however, the views were equally strident.

The Scottish Police Service was supportive of the plans to crack down on promotional deals for alcohol; cautious about minimum pricing – supporting it in principle but expressing concerns about its legality; but firmly against the new age-limit plans. The Scottish Police Service said that licensees could be as young as 18.

Its submission stated: "You could have someone running an off-sales premises, with all the concomitant responsibilities, but who could not himself purchase any alcohol for his, or any other, off-sales premises."

The police submission also warned that the proposal risked "demonising and alienating perfectly law-abiding 18 to 20-year-olds" and was the wrong approach.

In total, there were 530 responses submitted, 260 from individuals, 215 from organisations and 55 from MSPs and other sources.

Shona Robison, the public health minister, said ministers would take the responses into account – yet were committed to driving ahead with their plans.

She said: "We believe that raising the off-sales purchase age would cut the level of uncontrolled, open-air and home drinking which we know can result in anti-social behaviour.

"Meanwhile, our proposal for a minimum price for a unit of alcohol will target the high-strength products currently sold for 'pocket money prices' that cause the most damage in our communities and to our health as a nation.

"We must take action now to reverse the heavy toll excessive alcohol consumption is taking on our nation's health and wellbeing."

Who says what on SNP strategy

FOR

NHS TAYSIDE: "Fully supports" the Scottish Government's proposals to end giveaway promotions and the plan to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol. Although the health board expressed some concern that the change in the age limit to 21 for off-sales might not be the most effective course of action, it did not oppose the move.

ABERDEENSHIRE ALCOHOL AND DRUG ACTION TEAM: Called for an increase in the price of strong drink with a reduction in the price of low-alcohol drinks. It conceded that raising the age limit for off-sales to 21 would be "difficult to enforce" but backed plans for a "social responsibility fee".

ALCOHOL FOCUS SCOTLAND: Said there was "substantial" evidence that raising the price of alcohol helped reduce alcohol misuse. It also claimed that discounts encouraged people to drink more, so supported minimum pricing for alcohol.

AGAINST

VISITSCOTLAND: The tourism body warned that the plans to prevent off-licences from offering free drink might prevent distilleries offering complimentary drams at the end of visitor tours – which would harm Scotland's tourist industry.

LAW SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND: Raised concerns about the plans to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol. The society pointed out that the "regulation of goods and supply of services" was reserved to Westminster and that this could prevent the Scottish Government from taking action in this area.

BRIDGEND STORES, ISLE OF ISLAY: The owner of this small shop selling food, newspapers and alcohol warned of the difficulties in the government's plans to introduce separate aisles for alcohol and other products. "Separate checkouts would be a major problem for small, independent