Police and NHS to fight drinking

The anti-drinking campaign will run for the next year in the South

The police and the NHS are to join forces in the South in a year-long campaign that hopes to highlight the dangers of anti-social drinking.

Hampshire Constabulary, NHS South Central and Thames Valley Police are to combine education initiatives with a tougher enforcement of the law.

They are also keen to highlight the effect of binge drinking on the NHS and its A&E departments.

The campaign was launched ahead of next week's National Alcohol Awareness week.

On a typical Friday or Saturday evening, up to three quarters of A&E attendances are alcohol-related Thames Valley Police spokesman

Across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, more than 22,000 hospital admissions a year are alcohol-related.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: "A typical 'glassing' incident costs the NHS around £184,000 and involves 40 NHS staff.

"This is before the costs of a police criminal investigation are considered.

"On a typical Friday or Saturday evening, up to three quarters of A&E attendances are alcohol-related either as a result of assault, accident or simply too much to drink."

Thames Valley Police itself saw a 33% increase in the number of people it dealt with for alcohol-related offences last year, from 14,735 in 2005/6 to 19,575 in 2006/7.