Call to fight drink-fuelled crime

Drink is said to be a factor in many Tayside domestic crimes

A senior Tayside Police officer has made a plea to Scottish ministers for more funding to tackle drink-fuelled crime in the area.

Assistant Chief Constable Ian MacLeod's comments came as he told a conference that about 70% of domestic crime in the area was linked to alcohol.

He said his force wanted to trial schemes such as mobile "triage buses", manned by police and health staff.

The call came at an event organised by the Tayside Council on Alcohol.

Mr MacLeod, who also described Scotland's underage drinking rate as "truly shocking", said there were many important projects aimed at tackling alcohol problems across the UK.

"Some of them cost money and we would appeal to the Scottish Executive to consider Tayside as a trial area for some of the new schemes that have been tried with some success elsewhere," he said at the seminar in Perth.

Mr MacLeod added: "If we are serious about tackling alcohol misuse, we have to find an effective way of dealing with the revolving door that is the police cells for some alcohol-dependent offenders."