Offenders could face drink tests to cut rates of reoffending

Published on Wednesday 26 November 2008 20:41

OFFENDERS could be regularly tested for alcohol in an attempt to break the cycle of drinking and crime in Scotland, under plans to be unveiled today.

Labour will demand that alcohol treatment testing orders (ATTOs) are created to tackle drink-fuelled crime.

It wants the Scottish Government to pilot the orders then adopt them as part of a new strategy to deal with Scotland's dangerous relationship with drink.

ATTOs will follow similar lines to DTTOs currently used for drug addicts.

Offenders whose conviction is alcohol-related will be ordered to undergo treatment to get them off drink and will then have regular checks to make sure they are not drinking.

This can either be a post-prison programme or, for minor offences, part of an alternative to jail.

The idea, first mooted in Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray's leadership campaign, has been welcomed by organisations that deal with alcohol problems.

Richard Baker, Labour's justice spokesman, said evidence had shown DTTOs to be very effective.

After six months on an order, offenders' expenditure on drugs decreased from an average of 490 per week to 57.

"This is a practical measure, that we don't believe will cost much to implement and will reduce crime and reduce the problems of alcohol in Scotland," said Mr Baker.

"It will not even require legislation to introduce it."

He added: "This is in marked contrast to the unpopular gimmicks such as raising the age for buying alcohol that the SNP are putting forward."

Mr Baker will be joining Susan Matheson, the chief executive of Sacro (Safeguarding Communities and Reducing Offending), to make the announcement.

She said: "With the understandable attention given to the relationship between drug-use and crime, it has sometimes been less obvious that offending is often linked to alcohol misuse.

"It is, however, becoming increasingly apparent that this is the case and Sacro welcomes the proposal ."

There has already been a request by the group that runs Aberdeen's Albyn House – a project which has expertise in dealing with alcohol problems and has faced cuts from the city council – to pilot the ATTOs.

Harry Miller, of Alcohol Support, which runs the facility, said: "We should be doing much more positive and focused work with regular offenders around alcohol.

"There is good evidence that if people are engaged on courses such as our voluntary drink-driving scheme, this reduces reoffending.

"A pilot scheme to look at something enforceable should be tried.

"We should look at ATTOs as something that possibly could help reduce some categories of alcohol-related offences, such as domestic violence."

BACKGROUND

THE Scottish Government has taken a high-profile approach in tackling what it describes as "Scotland's relationship with the booze".

Alcohol misuse in Scotland is estimated to cost 2.25 billion a year – 500 for every adult.

Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, has announced a raft of controversial proposals to crack down on alcohol abuse.

These include raising the purchasing age at off-sales and supermarkets from 18 to 21; separate check-outs for alcohol; drink-only aisles at supermarkets; a curb on window advertising in off-sales; a ban on price promotions and giveaways; a minimum price strategy and introducing social responsibility fees.

Ministers also want to set minimum prices to drive up the cost of cheap lagers and ciders popular among teenagers.

Supermarkets criticised the proposals saying they were not based on evidence and claimed that minimum pricing and a ban on promotions would affect competition.