A conference on Tuesday, March 4, at Wherstead Park in Wherstead, Suffolk, was a chance for agencies across the UK to hear from those who implemented the ‘Reducing the strength’ campaign.
Representatives travelled to Wherstead from areas including North Wales, Scotland, London and Greater Manchester. Delegates were from public and private bodies including police forces, councils, licensing bodies, retailers and breweries.
Attendees heard from the partners who ran the campaign in Ipswich, and from senior representatives from Heineken UK, the Association of Convenience Stores, and from Thames Reach and the Portman Group – two leading charities that help those suffering from alcohol dependency. Delegates heard how the voluntary initiative in Ipswich has achieved significant results as part of a wider campaign tackling street drinking in the town. Two thirds of the town’s 147 off-licensed stores are now signed up to the initiative and the number of reports of street drinking in the town continues to reduce. The number of recognised members of the street drinking community has reduced by over half, dropping from 70 in 2011 to 31 today.
Since the launch of the campaign in September 2012, organisers say that they have been inundated with requests for information and assistance from police and councils across the UK. The conference was held to tell the story of the campaign; why it was needed, how it was implemented and what it has achieved.
Chief Inspector Andrew Mason said: “Yesterday’s conference was a fantastic success. We are delighted with the number of people who attended from all over the UK, and with the extremely interesting presentations given by experts from organisations affected by Reducing the Strength.
“It was important for us to hold this event as a chance to give all the people who have shown an interest a comprehensive update on why we introduced the campaign, how we did it, and what it has achieved. But also, crucially, we wanted to host an interesting debate on the range of issues and debates it has initiated and to clarify our specific aims and intentions.
“We identified a serious problem with street drinking in Ipswich, which was affecting individuals and communities and we had to take action. We have worked with our local businesses and asked them to join us, voluntarily, in removing specific products from their shelves.
“The local problems experienced by the delegates who attended on Tuesday will differ widely, but the community issues caused by street drinking and the consumption of super strength alcohol are very similar in all areas.
“I hope delegates have been able to take away some ideas and considerations for tackling issues in their towns and cities. We have seen our campaign spread out to Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill and will be looking to further roll it out across Suffolk.” Visit http://www.suffolk.police.uk
