Sunday, August 15, 2004

Violent Crime up 88% in North Norfolk

I've just issued this press release...

Iain Dale, Conservative Candidate for North Norfolk this weekend supported new Conservative proposals to tackle soaring levels of alcohol-related violence and yob behaviour in village and town centres across North Norfolk. Analysis of Home Office crime statistics has revealed that the number of offences of ‘violence against the person’ across North Norfolk have soared by a massive 88% per cent since 1999, up from 545 to 1022 a year – with alcohol a key cause. Iain Dale explained in a speech on Sunday to Stalham Conservatives: “I am all in favour of people having a good time out. But in Sheringham, Cromer and Fakenham, like in towns and cities across Britain today, we are creating not a cafĂ© culture, but a yob culture. The right to have a drink brings with it a responsibility – the responsibility not to ruin everyone else’s evening. I have lost count of the times that hard working, law abiding couples have told me they’d rather stay in now than run the gauntlet of the binge drinkers who have taken over their town and feel intimidated by the growing levels of yob behaviour.” Under the new policies proposed by Conservatives local councils will have greater discretion over licensing hours, rather than having to follow Whitehall diktats. This will mean local residents will have a greater say. There should be stronger powers to control late licences to prevent ‘disorder hotspots’ where they are too many bars or pubs in a vicinity. Councils should have the ability to prohibit ‘all you can drink’ promotions, where young people are encourage to binge drink on free drinks after paying a one-off entrance fee. Iain Dale continued: “Binge drinking and under-age drinking has a direct link to soaring levels of violent crime – no wonder that violent attacks across North Norfolk have soared by 88% per cent since 1999. This is not just due to statistical manipulation – the face of North Norfolk has changed. It is time to reclaim our streets and make them safer for everyone at night.”

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

yeah right!number of binge drinkers in north norfolk is probably twice the number of anyone thats about to stop them, it's not their fault anyway, you should only talk to the two people who are behind all this, their parents or guardians! And anyway youngsters have their ways, their not stupid, thirteen year olds are acting like twenty year olds and personly theres no one and nothing thats going to stop that. smoking gange, drinking, it's the 'new thing!'. they should get over this, i mean they've all to get older someday unless they die of cancer...but who's faults that?!