In 2004, the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England was published. It highlighted the costs to society of alcohol-related crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour. This was followed, in July 2007, by Safe Sensible Social: The next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy, which reviewed the progress made since 2004 and outlined further national and local action to reduce alcohol-related ill health and crime. This has more recently been followed by the National Alcohol Strategy Implementation Toolkit, which is a resource to help partnerships develop strategies to address alcohol-related crime, ill health and other harm in line with Safe, Sensible, Social:
Delivery of this strategy in the region is overseen by the North East Regional Alcohol Advisory Group (NERAAG).
The cost of alcohol misuse nationally is estimated to be £15
billion. The main costs are associated with crime and public disorder,
health, family and social networks and the workplace.
It is estimated that around half of all violent crimes are committed
and 88 per cent of criminal damage occurs whilst the offender is under
the influence of alcohol.
There are up to 150,000 alcohol related hospital admissions a year
and alcohol abuse is estimated to cost the NHS £1.7billion a year and
it is estimated that employers lose up to £6.4 billion due to working
days lost because of alcohol related absence.
In 2007 we helped produce the North East Alcohol Misuse Statement of Priorities
(PDF 690 KB). The statement contains a number of initiatives to reduce
alcohol related poor health, crime and disorder.
We work closely with the colleagues in Public Health
and the North East Regional Alcohol Advisory Group (NERAAG) to oversee
delivery of these plans, and the Youth Alcohol Action Plan published in
June 2008.
Balance, the Regional Alcohol Office was
launched in February 2009. It is based in Darlington and is managed by a
board comprising senior representatives from Government Office, Police,
Public Health North East and local government. Balance is the
Country’s first cross cutting alcohol office.
In 2009, Balance completed a comprehensive mapping exercise across
the North East to establish where we are, as a region, in seeking to tackle
alcohol related problems. The resulting ‘State of the Region
Report’ provides a strategic overview of the North East alcohol
agenda as a whole and a starting point to tackling alcohol related problems
in the region.
Balance also runs campaigns aimed at changing the region’s
culture towards alcohol as well as encouraging people to drink safely and
responsibly, and ensuring that people have equal access to improved
services and treatment across the region.
