Alcohol strategy to tackle city’s boozing

As the city prepares to host throngs of revellers drinking on the streets during Race Week, a new action plan to help communities tackle alcohol problems has been launched.

The guide was released as part of the city’s five-year alcohol strategy – the first city in Ireland to draw up one – in order to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm.

One of the first steps for communities to get to grips with the scourge of dangerous levels of drinking is to undertake an audit which provides a snapshot of the policies, systems and environmental practices currently in place. The audit should also identify areas for improvement.

The booklet – ‘Research evidence to prevent alcohol-related harm: what communities can do in Ireland’ – advises communities to implement “interventions”.

These include having less cheap alcohol available, greater enforcement of alcohol laws, less alcohol advertising, increased alcohol screening and advice readily on hand to provide to the public.

A monitoring system should be put in place targeting youth access, secondary purchasing, serving intoxicated customers and drink-driving.

The action plan also recommends the adoption of bye-laws to limit drinking in public places.

Much of the report details research around alcohol and what other countries have done to reduce its adverse affects.

In Australia, key information was provided by police to licensees about alcohol-related crimes following drinking on their premises, which resulted in a reduction in alcohol-related incidents linked to the premises.

A Swedish project showed major success in reducing service to intoxicated patrons in licensed premises through community action with responsible server training and greater police enforcement.

In Diadema, Brazil, the murder rate and admissions to women’s shelters declined sharply after the city’s bars were required to close several hours earlier.

The evidence from tobacco policy shows that comprehensive advertising bans were the most effective after taxation in reducing smoking.

The report recommends campaigning against alcohol advertising on publicly funded facilities such as public transport, bus shelters, footpaths, posters, billboards and sporting events to reduce the exposure of children to alcohol marketing.

It also advises community groups to identify and develop local pathways for alcohol-related treatment service and to ensure local residents are aware of how to access alcohol treatment services and encouraged to do so.

The strategy – prepared by the Galway Healthy Cities Alcohol Forum in partnership with a range of organisations and groups – was launched in February 2013.

Forum member, Cllr Niall McNelis, said the community action plan – a key part of that strategy – has very achievable goals.

“At the moment bye-laws drafted by Cllr Peter Keane look to tackle and limit drinking in public places. Alcohol advertising near schools has been policed. We are working with colleges and tackling social media promotions – highlighting why Donegal Tuesday is wrong,” he explained.

“We are also communicating where help is available and where to access it. When the Diageo-funded roadshow about alcohol were held in Galway we spoke out against these events and highlighted the fact that you can’t have the alcohol industry involved in setting the bar or targets.”

So far the strategy has been credited with improvements on St Patrick’s Day when local off-licences complied with a request not to open until after 3pm. Gardaí reported a major reduction in antisocial behaviour and alcohol-fuelled violence.

A survey on the density of alcohol selling outlets in the city found there are 248 places to buy alcohol in Galway City, with nearly every shop owning a wine licence.