Home Office dismisses damning Licensing Act survey
The Home Office has dismissed a report claiming the Licensing Act has increased the amount of alcohol-related incidents police have to deal with.
An investigation by the Daily Telegraph, using the Freedom of Information Act, found 12 police forces out of the 43 asked had recorded a 46 per cent rise in alcohol-related incidents since the Act was introduced.
The paper claimed the rise, if repeated across England and Wales, would amount to an extra 180,000 crimes every year.
But a spokeswoman for the Home Office disputed the numbers. "We don't recognise these figures, nor do we recognise the methodology that was used to make these sweeping statements," she said.
The Home Office was widely expected to release details of a government review of the Licensing Act today. However the spokeswoman denied this was the case and said the report would be released "in the next few weeks".
Details of the review have already been leaked to the press, which show a mixed set of results.
According to The Independent the report reveals that overall crime has been reduced by three per cent since the Act. However it also revealed a steep rise in crimes committed between 3am and 6am.
The report goes on to say though that "the chaos and fear predicted by critics of the Licensing Act has not come about".
Asked to comment on the figures, the Home Office spokeswoman said: "We are not in a position to say whether they are right or wrong."
Since the Act, the majority of pubs that were granted extended hours are opening an extra hour or two later, while less than one per cent have been granted a 24-hour licence.
