Ban on kids street drinking
Police are to get new powers to stop kids from drinking on the streets.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is set to unveil plans for a renewed blitz on underage drinking on Wednesday.
The News of the World reported that Smith, who recently said she did not feel safe on the streets of London, will ban under-18s from drinking in public.
She is also expected to demand more action from drinks companies to curb underage drinking and launch a Government funded ad campaign for safer drinking.
"Let me be perfectly clear - if children are caught drinking in public they'll have those drinks confiscated," Smith told the paper.
"I fully support communities efforts to stamp out underage, alcohol-fuelled disorder and the harm it causes."
However, British Beer and Pub Association director of communications Mark Hastings pointed out that police already have the power to confiscate alcohol under the Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act 1997.
"Under this Act the police have the power to seize alcohol from anyone under the age of 18 and to arrest anyone who fails to comply with the order to surrender alcohol," he said.
"The Act also empowers seizure of alcohol from persons over the age of 18 if it is believed they intend to supply it to someone under 18.
"This Act was extended under the Licensing Act 2003 to include unopened alcohol - specifically where it was considered that there was an intent to consume and that anti-social behaviour could result from that consumption.
"Once again, we don't need new laws, we just need the enforcement of existing laws."
