The law should be changed to make it illegal to sell take away alcohol to young people under 21. They would still be able to go to pubs and clubs which keeps them off the streets. I see the effects cheap booze from supermarkets and off-licenses has most weekends as I own a pub. They come in already under the influence, and when we refuse to serve them they can become abusive but on the whole they just leave stating they will go elsewhere! It should'nt really be down to the police to tackle this, they have enough to do tackling serious crime. It is down to firstly parents to educate their children about alcohol and it's effects on their future health. We need to drive home to young people that it is not cool to get out of your face, rather that it is unacceptable behaviour. Responsible retailing ensuring retailers are bought to book if they persistently sell to underagers. Finally as I said at the beginning of my comment raising the age to 21 when young people can buy take away alcohol from all licensed premises should surely help.

It's wrong to say these powers already exist. The way the existing law is only allows a policeman to confiscate alcohol from an under-18 if they have reasonable suspicion they are drinking it or are going to drink it.

If the police want tougher powers to be able to take alcohol off a kid even if they claim ‘I’m taking this home to my Mum’ then they should get them.

We need to send a tough message out to these kids causing mayhem that we’re not going to put up with it – and the Tories should support the police in what they want.

Surely it's the parents that need to be reprimanded. I think the idea of introducing even tougher laws on child crime, is counterproductive and somewhat barbaric.

It isn't fully down to drink. First, end the silly title Anti Social and replace it with Unacceptable. Then determine what society perceives as acceptable behaviour.
Now you can begin to find both short and long term solutions.
Children learn behaviour from those around them. Firstly parents and then other children. For well over ten years, the current group of parents have abdicated any responsibility for their own children. Watch any TV today and see groups of ten to sixteen year olds causing havoc on our estates. CCTV is wide in city and town centres. Police are present in city and town centres. Those causing trouble there are old enough to drink but lack any self discipline to maintain any control over their actions. The younger elements see that behaviour and copy it; when they are old enough to get into the pubs and clubs. But what is being done on the estates? Today we see figures presented of atacks on the Fire service. In five months time, nothing will have changed. In a years time nothing will have changed. etc etc etc.

For the situation to improve, parents have to take responsibility for the actions of their children. I doubt if that will happen so the solution is for society to hold parents responsible for the actions and take measures to end the trouble now.
I sat in a Labour party meeting years ago and one member said that the only way to bring order back to society is for society to be tough. I, like many, saw this as a threat to liberty. Yet here today, we see the results of many years trying to understand and in the end, doing nothing.
For freedom and a decent quality of life, there would be a loss of many liberties. A few years of tough action against those causing the unacceptable behaviour and those who refuse to accept any responsibility for what is happening, is urgently needed.
Now. You would say that is unfair on the majority of young people who do not cause trouble. I agree. But constantly agreeing has not solved the problem. There will be many who loose out on personal freedom. That is the cost society must pay to rid that society of the cancer destroying it.
Tough financial penalties against parents for any unacceptable behaviouir caused by their children under sixteen. And strong action to deprive those constant offenders of the freedom they have deprived others of.
I believe five years of a very tough regime, would halt the downward progression in behaviour.
If real action is not taken, the debate will still be going on when the next election comes around. And believe me. Unacceptable behviour will be a real issue on the doorsteps. As a Labour Government, we have to see real results on the streets and estates, very quickly. If it means very tough conditions for freedom and liberties to survive, so be it. But no action and constant debate and talking, will never solve the problem.
Our society and people deserve much better than lots of empty words defending civil liberties. It wants and deserves, action.

I totally agree with tackling young people drinking in public but surely if young people were brought up to drink an inch of wine or something else daily they would not see the need to drink in their teens.

I completely agree with Simone - it's ludicrous to crack down harshly on under 18s drinking. As an 18 year old, it was only a year ago that me and my friends had great difficulty finding somewhere to socialise. We weren't even allowed to sit in a pub without proof of ID regardless of whether we were planning to by alcohol or not. If one person in our group was a few weeks away from being 18, the law supposed that that person was too immature to be able to drink responsibly. In the summer we sat in parks, which passers-by apparently find 'intimidating' and suppose that we must be criminals. Youths drink to show they have an independant mind and they wish to be treated as adults. There is nowhere for a group of 16 or 17 year olds to go, and to react with contempt for these people because they consequently hang around on street corners drinking, is just plain ignorant. Solve this problem, not just cover it up and attempt to make it invisible.

Perhaps it would reduce drinking if there were places for young people to go and socialise in the evening that weren't centred around alcohol. Possibly encouraging the growth of a coffee bar culture, or establishing 'softbars' with dancefloors might help. Young people have nowhere to go!

Dear Ms Smith

Referring to Sir Ronnie Flanagan comments concerning the paperwork introduced by the bureaucracy of this Government, it would appear by this so-called tough measure will only waste further police time by instructing them to confiscate alcohol from under-age drinkers in the street.( More Form Filling)

What you should do is Confiscate The Bureaucracy you have wrapped around the police force, causing them to be Tigers without teeth, and if they were patrolling the neighbourhood on foot, you would not have had this problem in the first place.

If you want the Police to Police as we all do, then given the free hand to do it, as at the moment the police are governed by central government, and the so-called do-gooders of this country.

Dave Coppard

we totaly agree with you dave, police on the beat again, and do away the do-gooders, give power back to the police, at the moment they are powerless, and the yobs know it!
Also give powers to the fire crews,who are now under attack, they should be able to turn fire hoses on the attackers,and offenders be delt with harshly.

As a young person, I feel it is essential that the youth of today are instilled with a fear of the consequences of their actions. This is all but lacking within today’s society, thus teenage drinking often escalates to an uncontrollable level and in turn leads to violence and other related crime.

It is not a matter of young people differentiating between what is right and wrong, we are already aware of the established moral code, but many choose not to follow it! Why? Because in some cases, we are all too aware that if we choose to act against the law or our community the result is no significant punishment from either parent(s) or the law.

It is essential that discipline and respect is instilled in children from a young age, (I say this as a 23 year old and not a Sergeant major) otherwise the attitude of “you can’t tell me what to do” all too often prevails. This is neither beneficial for futures of the individuals involved, nor for the future of community cohesion and social values!

I cannot stress enough the fact that the youth know the Police dont do anything so why should they change. I caled the Police on a group who had over 30 bottles of drink I remained where I was and the Police did not know I was there and they let them keep the drink and told them what good lads they were and moved them on - Hello!!!!! I have disclosed to one of them that I heard the whole conversation and he admitted they should have confiscated the drink, but they didnt want to upset them!!!!!!! Wonder why its still happening???????

Tesco and other shops are selling to youth under age and should ask for I.D a couple of youth we know are 13 & 14 very tall for their age and are making a small fortune buying bottles for their mates and lots of it, now they are doing organised fights and still the Police just move them on - a Nation of anything goes, will get worse.

I am a Park Ranger working for Bradford MD Council. Over the last 21 years I have found that most youth problems today in Bradford's parks stem from a lack of parental control and a lack of discipline in schools. Children who truant are a major problem. I believe if we can reduce the number of truants we will be able to reduce crime. I am a firm believer that the root of our problems today come from children who start absconding from school. I see them every day going around in groups causing problems to local people with bad behavior and being abusive, they cause damage to property and I believe this is where it all starts. It is very hard for a child to get out of this situation once in it.

I think the problem goes back to parents and school - but teachers have their hands tied to some degree and that needs to be loosened. I had a pub back in the 60/70's and we had to be vetted before given a license and we were made responsible for selling alcohol - trouble started when licenses were given to supermarkets and other outlets, therefore once alcohol is purchased there is no one responsible for the way that customer consumes or disposes of it. There were also more bobbies on the beat - bring them back fourfold I say, but get a real community spirit on this and get everyone working together - Town Councillors as well - in my town the youth centre is always being threated to be closed down, youth have very little places to go, no local cinemas, etc. etc.

It is because all rights were taken away, the youth know it and say to us at the cyber cafe "You cant throw us out you cant lay a finger on us or we will have you arrested - we can do what we like and you can do nothing" - the law say you cannot discipline, are they mad? I cant believe they dont know why these problems have come about - blind!

Let's not forget that most people drink moderately and sensibly. Let's not lable all young people who like a drink as "lager louts". It's all too easy to become prejudiced against the many by the actions of the few who abuse their freedom. Surely it should be unruly behaviour that should be punished, not simply having a drink in a public place, because it might lead to unruly behaviour.

I agree with Simon. Rather than increase Alcahol tax, which is just another way of getting more tax in the coffers, increase the legal drinking age by a couple of years. Also repeal 24 hour drinking. Also limit when Supermartkets etc can sell alcahol. All these rules were in place beforte someone decided to change all the rules for the better (or depending where you live it could be batter). Well done Labour, another unnesessary cock-up.

I agree whole-heartedly with David on this one. If Jacqui Smith's idea of getting tough on teenage drinking is anything like Tony Blairs idea of getting tough on crime it'll be about as effective as a handbrake on a canoe! "Tough on Crime and the Causes of Crime"? I think this government should re-think this slogan for something more reflective of it's record in this area, i.e. "Pink and Fluffy on Crime and the Causes of Crime"! What about it Jacqui?

I quote "A new campaign to confiscate alcohol from underage drinkers begins this month and lessons will be learned from it"
This has been happening for years and will not make a difference. When are we going to learn. Come on Labour, your better than this!

I do not feel that the approach is correct. First of all alcohol has been made so freely available with ever increasing pubs open 24 hours. We are wasting efforts to tackle the problem unless temptations are minimised by limiting pub hours, strict control over sale in super-markets and off licences.

I agree alcohol is too available.Where I grew up in the 1960's there was one outlet for offsales in the whole town.

I totally agree unless the law is put in action, whats the point of it. I run a cyber cafe and youth hang around outside aged from 13 to 19 smoking drinking and sometimes drug taking the Police when called simply ask them to move on - when we insist they cant do it they say "The Police wont do anything" wonder why its getting worse?

I really am pleased to see some work being done on this long overdue issue. I think we need to get back some civic pride, and a tough stance on all bad behaviour is power to the cause..
(Perhaps a clean up on 'boom' cars wouldn,t go amiss:)
Amen to all those who want a better Britain...
Randolphe Palmer