Town police warning of underage drinking as pandemic rules ease
Campbeltown police are appealing to shopkeepers, licensees and parents of young teenagers to be extra vigilant when it comes to underage alcohol consumption and its associated risks.
With the relaxation of Covid restrictions and a larger influx of people expected in the area, officers are hoping to reduce potential problems of anti-social behaviour caused by underage drinking, particularly at weekends and during school holidays. Campbeltown-based Sergeant Jon Watson-Russell told the Courier: ‘Whilst on one hand, it’s a compliment to the town and its close-knit community that it’s generally safe enough for young people to be out later in the evenings, this can change quickly and unexpectedly when alcohol is added into the equation.
‘The purpose of alcohol is to lower the inhibitions of people. This can lead to young people either being more likely to become a victim of a crime or more likely to be a perpetrator.
‘When they’re drunk, they could make choices that are poorly thought-out and with little consideration as to the potential consequences. They could behave in ways they wouldn’t dream about if sober.
‘The number of conversations we have with young people ‘the morning after’ and how different they are, it’s sometimes hard to believe they’re the same person they were the previous night.’
Campbeltown police are also reinforcing that it is an offence to purchase or provide a person under the age of 18 with alcohol. ‘Police have the legal power under the Crime and Punishment Scotland Act 1997 to require the surrender of alcohol by persons in possession of it under the age of 18 if they are in a public place,’ explained Sergeant Watson-Russell.
‘Under the same legislation, police can also remove alcohol from any person OVER the age of 18 if we suspect that they’ve bought it on behalf of a minor or will supply it to them. Committing these offences can lead to a fine and, when times are already hard enough for people financially, this is one easy way to avoid being hit in the pocket.’
He added that reports of intoxicated young people ‘naturally increase’ at the weekends and in school holidays.
‘Young people are trying to relax and rightfully enjoy their time away from school,’ he said, ‘but, a proportion will do so through the misuse of alcohol.’
Campbeltown police say that calls concerning large gatherings involving excessive noise, assaults, even incidents of bullying and, in some of the worst cases, sexual offences, can quite often be traced back to the consumption of alcohol and its effects.
Sergeant Watson-Russell said police have to continue to do better tackling issues such as underage drinking, adding: ‘But it’s also a fair point that there are parents who know full well that their children will be consuming alcohol and, in some cases, will even be providing it to them.
‘This is wholly unacceptable and, if the police are able to prove this, there will be far-reaching repercussions for those parents.
‘The same goes for those people who hold the serious responsibility of a licence to sell alcohol. We will have no qualms or hesitation in taking licensees found in breach of their terms to a review panel.
‘They know the law full well and we expect them to uphold it.’
Another aspect of underage drinking that concerns police is the longer term health and addiction risks, which they feel are well known and publicised but perhaps not taken seriously enough by some.
‘This ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude is the reason why we’re still seeing young people take very upsetting paths in their lives, often traced back to the naïve belief that a few drinks won’t hurt,’ said Sergeant Watson-Russell. ‘In a community like Campbeltown, even small incidents have large effects that can be felt by far more people than just the individual concerned.
‘We are looking forward to continuing to work with the Kintyre community to have a fantastic year ahead, goodness knows we all deserve it. We hope that people will read this article and understand that we all have a part to play in keeping Campbeltown as safe and welcoming as it currently is.’