Drop in serious crime attributed to rise in cost of alcohol

A report published this week revealed that there has been a 12% decrease in violent crime in England and Wales over the last year. The drop follows the continuing trend of falling violent crime since the 1960s, when crime peaked. The rise in the cost of alcohol has been given as one of the reasons for the decline.

In the past few years a combination of police effort and rising alcohol prices has reduced binge drinking in town and city centres. The most noticeable change has been a reduction in the number of people attending accident and emergency departments; alcohol abuse is one of the main causes of visits to casualty departments over the weekend period.

Professor Jonathan Shepherd, director of Cardiff University’s violence and society research group, explained: “Violence is falling in many western countries and we don’t know all the reasons why. Binge drinking has become less frequent, and the proportion of youth who don’t drink alcohol at all has risen sharply. Also, after decades in which alcohol has become more affordable, since 2008 it has become less affordable. For people most prone to involvement in violence – those aged 18 to 30 – falls in disposable income are probably an important factor.”

Some parts of the country have reported rises in drug crimes, however. In Suffolk there has been a rise in the number of young drug users seeking treatment. This follows a rise in arrests in the region. It is thought that a rise in the variety of drugs on the market has led to more people taking drugs. The higher costs of alcohol may also be contributing to this trend; whereas 20 years ago a majority of people seeking help for drug abuse were middle-aged, now rehab centres are seeing more people in their late 20s.