Police blitz on Durham City's drinkers

Oct 7 2008 by Neil Mckay, The Journal

POLICE in a historic city now have the power to confiscate alcohol from drunks who intimidate locals and visitors.

Residents, workers and visitors to Durham have long complained about cider drinkers congregating on benches and in shop doorways in the city centre.

Gangs of youths and girls brandishing cans of lager also gather at various points including around the bus station concourse in North Road.

Now Durham City Council has imposed a Designated Public Place Order to allow police to confiscate alcohol from anybody deemed to be behaving anti-socially. Police have already confiscated booze from dozens of street drinkers.

Coun Carol Woods, deputy leader of the city council, said: “This is an effective enforcement tool but is not about banning drinking alcohol on streets within the city centre, and certainly not where pubs and clubs have organised outside seating areas.

“It is about being able to confiscate alcoholic drinks and, if necessary, fine people who are on the pavement causing a nuisance and behaving in an anti-social way due to excess drink, or even those who look like their behaviour may become a problem.”

Sgt Tim Robson, Durham Police licensing officer, added: “This order is a very important addition for our policing in the city centre. We are not going to tolerate those people who congregate on footpaths intent on creating havoc.

“We have started using the order and I am confident that it will begin to have an effect quite quickly.”

Sgt Robson stressed that police will use discretion before deciding whether to confiscate alcohol.

He said: “If a family are sitting by the river watching the regatta and sipping a glass of wine, then they will be left alone.

“And we appreciate people will be drinking in public on Durham Miners Gala day.

“So long as they behave we have no problem with that.

“But if gangs of young men congregate under a bridge, for example, with a boatload of beer, we have the power to take the beer from them if we believe its consumption may lead to anti-social behaviour.

“The order also gives us the authority to confiscate alcohol from people over the age of 18 if we suspect they are going to give it to younger people who cannot lawfully buy drink themselves.”

The city council agreed in principle to imposing the order more than 12 months ago, but Sgt Robson said a delay in providing signs to warn people that it was in place had contributed to a delay in its enforcement.