BOOZE BLITZ

Police are using the arrival of lighter nights to call time on adults who buy booze for under-age drinkers.

Cops are building on the success of the award-winning You’re Asking For It campaign – a practical and partnership- driven approach aimed at reducing the risk of harm to under 18s by cracking down on proxy purchasing.

They will again be highlighting that anyone who buys alcohol for someone under 18 is breaking the law and could face a fine of up to £5000, three months in prison, or both.

Sgt Alex Pllu, of Wishaw Police Office, says under- age drinking plays a huge part in antisocial behaviour, crime and violence in local communities.

And that’s why police are targeting adults who fuel youth disorder.

Officers say they know young people use social media to arrange gatherings at Lanarkshire drinking dens.

This spring, they will again be focusing on areas such Baron’s Haugh RSPB nature reserve on the Dalzell estate, as well as Motherwell’s Watling Street and Parkneuk Street and playing fields near Strathclyde Park.

At Baron’s Haugh, youths aged between 15 and 19 have used bird watchers’ hides for their drinking binges.

Sgt Pllu says people who use the reserve feel initimated walking past rowdy groups of youths.

“For as long as I have been in the police, kids will go to a park and drink,” he said.

“We will get calls when they are coming home full of drink. They are very loud and sometimes vandalise people’s property. It’s not just the under- age drinking that causes concern, it’s the associated behaviour that goes along with it.

“The people who live there are waiting for 11 or 12 o’clock when youths are walking past and causing grief and leaving residents wondering if their windows will be smashed or their cars will be damaged.”

When police receive complaints about youths gathering to drink, officers say their tactics include going to the scene and taking as many names as possible.

They then share that information with North Lanarkshire Council’s housing department and together will visit council house residents to highlight the impact antisocial behaviour can have on individuals’ tenancies.

Police will also be continuing their work with getting licensees on board, assuring them they have the force’s support, and continuing to hammer home the You’re Asking For It campaign messages.

They are urging licensees to be vigilant if they see regular customers buying additional alcoholic drinks typically favoured by young people.

Officers have also received reports from concerned retailers when an adult purchases so-called alcopops and pays with a handful of loose change.

Licensees who suspect adults are supplying drink to under 18s have also alerted police to report groups of youths loitering outside their shops.

Driven by the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership (SAIP), Police Scotland and North Lanarkshire Community Safety Partnership, the You’re Asking For It campaign saw a surge of support from retailers, as well as parents and concerned residents in their communities after its launch.

Police Scotland analysts report that youth disorder incidents reduced by 10 per cent following the launch of the campaign.

The tactic also contributed to a 51 per cent reduction of reports of children drinking on the street.

In addition to 38 adults being reported for buying alcohol for children, the campaign also led to two North Lanarkshire stores being reported for repeatedly selling alcohol to under 18s.

Sgt Pllu says these results suggest that children have found it more difficult to source alcohol.