MPs call for booze promotion ban
Monday, 10 November 2008 9:00 AM
Alcohol promotions should be banned to help overrun police deal with alcohol linked crimes, MPs on the home affairs committee have said.
The Mps called for the alcohol trade's voluntary standards to become mandatory, with an inspection system equipped with penalties for violations so that police can focus on more serious offences such as immigration and identity theft.
"We cannot have on one hand a world of alcohol promotions for profit that fuels surges of crime and disorder and on the other the police diverting all their resources to cope with it," committee chairman Keith Vaz said.
Other factors concerning the committee's finding on overextended police include Home Office-imposed targets on trivial offences, the amount of time officers spend on paperwork, and misplaced priorities that result in less attention to serious crimes.
"Police need to be given the means to focus their resources on the real life priorities of the communities they serve - from cutting the reams of red tape officers deal to ensuring that they have access to simple time saving solutions like hand-held PDAs," said Mr Vaz.
Overall the committee is troubled that public expectations of police forces are not being achieved due to all these overarching problems and that police should be more receptive to the public and their needs.
"Policing is about how we feel about the neighbourhoods we live in, yet for many of us our only direct encounter with the police will be at the worst, most harrowing times of our lives.
"That is why it is so crucial that police are able to respond to local priorities, respond to the needs of victims and make the best use of their resources," Mr Vaz said.
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