http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe....ap/index.html
LONDON, England (AP) -- Some see a boozy Armageddon -- others the dawn of civilized cafe society.
Either way, it's last call for the early pub closing times that have shocked many a visitor to Britain since their introduction during World War I.
The government hopes the change, which takes effect at midnight (0000 GMT) Wednesday in England and Wales, will stop the flood of drunks onto city streets just after the traditional 11 p.m. closing time. (Watch how the new law will change drinking habits -- 2:26)
But opponents say British consumption of booze -- the most notorious, although hardly the heaviest, in Europe -- should not be encouraged.
"We already see people who have been injured because they have drunk too much," said Martin Shalley of the British Association for Emergency Medicine. "I think this is now going to occur a lot more frequently."
Britain's licensing laws -- largely unchanged since they were tightened in 1915 to keep factory workers sober -- have long been derided as an anachronism. They required most pubs to close at 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10:30 p.m. on Sundays.
The new rules allow pubs, bars, shops, restaurants and clubs to apply to open any hours they like, although each license must be approved by local authorities.
Supporters say the changes will end the scramble to guzzle as much booze as possible in the last minutes before closing time and so cut down on alcohol-fueled violence.
They hope the new law will nudge Britons toward a Continental culture of gentle tippling rather than relentless chugging.
Thousands of pubs and bars have been granted later licenses under the new rules, although the vast majority have asked for an extra hour or two -- hardly the "24-hour drinking" endlessly repeated in headlines.
Only 700 establishments, including 240 pubs, applied for licenses for around-the-clock sales, according to government figures.
London's Evening Standard newspaper estimated that between a quarter and a third of licensed premises in the city had applied for later opening.
"The changes are not as dramatic as has been suggested, with most pubs opting to open for a few extra hours a week," said Neil Williams, spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association.
The government's licensing minister, James Purnell, said the new law would mean that "at last grown-ups will be treated like grown-ups."
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell was quoted by The Independent newspaper as saying the old laws implied Germans, Italians, Australians and even Scots -- who have had late-opening pubs for decades -- were more "biologically civilized than the English."
But the new law has many opponents, including police chiefs who have warned of a rise in booze-fueled crime and health agencies who say alcohol consumption, and its attendant ills, will inevitably increase.
The government has said alcohol figures in 44 percent of violent crime, while booze-related mishaps account for 70 percent of hospital emergency-room cases at busy times.
Researchers say it is not how much Britons drink, but how they drink that is the problem.
According to the World Health Organization, Britons consume less alcohol on average than in many other European countries including Ireland, Germany, France, Hungary and Spain. They are more likely, however, to drink in concentrated bursts.
That propensity for bingeing has spawned newspaper headlines warning that round-the-clock drinking would unleash tides of "drunken yobs" and "booze-fueled louts" on the nation.
"An epidemic of binge drinking, violence and alcohol-related illness is plaguing this country," lamented the Daily Mirror newspaper on Wednesday.
The Independent, in contrast, welcomed the end of "one of the most restrictive drinking regimes in Europe."
"We should all raise a celebratory glass," the newspaper said in an editorial.
I don't think it's a good idea.
For one they don't even let there copper's pak heat. Female officer shot last week. How is 24 hour a day booze going to make safety in the UK better?? /boggle...
What's funny is one of the biggest complaints is that a UK officer will "miss" and hit civilians... yea.. then give them a sub machine gun instead of a pistol in a retention holster (retention helps you arrest in a scuffle).
Yea a sub machine gun is really going to cut down on missed shots (sarcasm).
This is very true.Researchers say it is not how much Britons drink, but how they drink that is the problem.
Regarding the last post, there is not really a link to binge drinking and cops getting shot. Gun crime is very sparse in England (especially compared to the U.S.).
There is a yob and hooligan culture in most towns and cities on a Friday and Saturday night. What happens is that people know there is a cut off time, so they gulp as much booze as possible down before they are kicked out of pubs and clubs. The result is inevitable violence because thousands of youths are thrown on the streets simultaneously. They want more alcohol, but they can't get it.
BBC NEWS
Drink law 'danger' for shop staff
Extra security is needed to protect supermarket workers now that new licensing laws have come into effect, retail union Usdaw has said.
Usdaw says it is concerned that drunk people who are refused alcohol sales might attack shop staff.
Under licensing law, staff are legally obliged not to serve any customer they believe to be drunk or under 18.
Refusing to sell alcohol was a factor in many of the 20,000 assaults on UK shop staff last year, the union said.
Incidents
We are concerned that ready availability of cheap alcohol will attract drunks to stores
John Harnett, Usdaw general secretary
Round-the-clock drinking in England and Wales is now a reality after new licensing laws came into force.
More than 1,000 pubs, clubs and supermarkets have been granted 24-hour licences to sell alcohol, according to government figures.
The big three supermarkets - Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's - are reported to have applied for 24-hour licences at a combined total of 435 outlets.
Usdaw said a recent survey of 600 shopworkers found that asking shoppers for proof of age or refusing to sell alcohol to intoxicated persons was a major flashpoint for incidents of verbal abuse, intimidation and assault in stores.
"We are concerned that ready availability of cheap alcohol will attract drunks to stores and we will be monitoring this situation very closely to see if our fears are realised," John Hannett, Usdaw general secretary, said.
"Our primary concern is the safety of our members so we will work closely with supermarkets to make sure that adequate security is in place where stores have a 24-hour licence," he added.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/h...ss/4465976.stm
Published: 2005/11/24 10:22:19 GMT
© BBC MMV
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