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Alcoholic Drinks: Young Offenders

Answer

Information showing the number of offenders cautioned and defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for alcohol-related offences in England and Wales 2008 (latest available) broken down by age and police force area, can be viewed in tables 1 and 2 respectively.A penalty notice for disorder (PND) may also be issued for certain alcohol-related offences. The number of PNDs issued for alcohol-related offences in 2008 can be viewed in table 3.

Table 1: Number of offenders aged under 18 cautioned¹ for alcohol-related offences², England and Wales, 2008, by age³, 4
Force	Age
	10-12	13-15	16-17	10-17
Avon and Somerset	—	8	23	31
Bedfordshire		—	—	0
Cambridgeshire	—	—	—	0
Cheshire	—	13	22	35
City of London		—	1	1
Cleveland	—	11	23	34
Cumbria	—	14	50	64
Derbyshire	—	10	12	22
Devon and Cornwall	—	34	62	96
Dorset	—	7	10	17
Durham	—	15	34	49
Essex	—	4	18	22
Gloucestershire	—	—	6	6
Greater Manchester	—	15	16	31
Hampshire	—	12	23	35
Hertfordshire	—	4	1	5
Humberside	—	2	4	6
Kent	—	15	15	30
Lancashire	1	37	76	114
Leicestershire	—	3	2	5
Lincolnshire	—	—	—	0
Merseyside	1	16	22	39
Metropolitan Police	1	4	1	6
Norfolk	—	—	1	1
North Yorkshire	—	10	20	30
Northamptonshire	—	—	—	0
Northumbria	3	129	190	322
Nottinghamshire	—	—	—	0
South Yorkshire	—	25	13	38
Staffordshire	—	3	6	9
Suffolk	—	3	3	6
Surrey	—	1	5	6
Sussex	2	26	29	57
Thames Valley	1	6	11	18
Warwickshire	—	—	—	0
West Mercia	2	8	26	36
West Midlands	—	24	39	63
West Yorkshire	—	66	78	144
Wiltshire	—	1	3	4
Dyfed-Powys	2	5	9	16
Gwent	1	16	47	64
North Wales	1	13	23	37
South Wales	1	10	12	23
England and Wales	16	570	936	1,522
¹ From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals.
² The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence.
³ Alcohol-related offences for which cautions have been issued:
(a) Drunkenness simple.
(b) Drunkenness with aggravation.
(c) Offences by licensed person.
(d) Other offences against intoxicating liquor laws.
(e) Driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs.
(f) Causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs.
4 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
Source:
Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice
Ref: IOS 174-10

Table 2: Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for alcohol-related offences¹, England and Wales, 2008, by age and police force area², ³
	Age
Force	10—12	13-15	16-17	10-17
Avon and Somerset	—	7	49	56
Bedfordshire	—	2	20	22
Cambridgeshire	—	—	16	16
Cheshire	1	14	53	68
City of London	—	—	—	0
Cleveland	—	12	52	64
Cumbria	—	16	72	88
Derbyshire	1	14	48	63
Devon and Cornwall	—	19	120	139
Dorset	—	5	28	33
Durham	—	20	89	109
Essex	—	5	38	43
Gloucestershire	—	2	27	29
Greater Manchester	—	23	87	110
Hampshire	—	13	86	99
Hertfordshire	—	1	17	18
Humberside	—	5	34	39
Kent	—	25	59	84
Lancashire	1	47	189	237
Leicestershire	—	—	25	25
Lincolnshire	—	1	29	30
Merseyside	—	18	117	135
Metropolitan Police	—	8	95	103
Norfolk	—	6	27	33
North Yorkshire	—	11	61	72
Northamptonshire	—	2	22	24
Northumbria	—	140	440	580
Nottinghamshire	—	5	30	35
South Yorkshire	—	30	104	134
Staffordshire	—	4	50	54
Suffolk	—	—	15	15
Surrey	—	1	30	31
Sussex	—	14	72	86
Thames Valley	—	5	46	51
Warwickshire	—	1	18	19
West Mercia	—	9	67	76
West Midlands	—	15	83	98
West Yorkshire	—	51	141	192
Wiltshire	—	2	13	15
Dyfed-Powys	—	1	23	24
Gwent	—	7	51	58
North Wales	—	9	52	61
South Wales	—	2	42	44
England and Wales	3	572	2,737	3,312
¹ Includes offences of:
(a) Drunkenness simple.
(b) Drunkenness with aggravation.
(c) Offences by licensed person.
(d) Other offences against intoxicating liquor laws.
(e) Driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs.
(f) Causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs.
² The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
³ Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
Source:
Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice
Ref: IOS 174-10

Table 3: Number of penalty notices for disorder issued to persons aged 16 to 17 for alcohol-related offences England and Wales,2008¹, ², ³
Force	2008
Avon and Somerset	28
Bedfordshire	11
British Transport Police	29
Cambridgeshire	19
Cheshire	20
Cleveland	101
Cumbria	1
Derbyshire	71
Devon and Cornwall	50
Dorset	22
Durham	38
Essex	12
Gloucestershire	11
Greater Manchester	85
Hampshire	30
Hertfordshire	44
Humberside	77
Kent	122
Lancashire	491
Leicestershire	6
Lincolnshire	7
Merseyside	368
Metropolitan Police	95
Norfolk	16
Northamptonshire	40
Northumbria	258
North Yorkshire	73
Nottinghamshire	32
South Yorkshire	228
Staffordshire	41
Suffolk	7
Surrey	12
Sussex	54
Thames Valley	15
Warwickshire	10
West Mercia	36
West Midlands	185
West Yorkshire	110
Wiltshire	29
Dyfed-Powys	12
Gwent	18
North Wales	41
South Wales	11
Total	2,966
¹ Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
² The penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme was implemented in all 43 police forces in England and Wales in 2004 under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.
³ Centrally available PND data are published at age 16 and over.
Source:
Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice
Ref: IOS 174-10

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

508 c917-21W; 323235

Session

2009-10

Subjects

Alcoholic drinks Young people Young offenders

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk