City street drinkers to face ban on booze sales

STREET drinkers are being banned from buying booze in the city centre under a tough new crackdown by police.

Officers are visiting off-licences across the area who sell alcohol to problem drinkers, who are often behind antisocial behaviour.

Shop owners can be stripped of their licences for selling drink to people who are already drunk.

After identifying where drunks are buying their alcohol, officers visit the stores and warn staff not to serve them again.

Police chiefs believe the tactic will soon make it near impossible for those being targeted to buy drink in central Edinburgh.

The new strategy follows the success of the Capital's first "designated enforcement zone" last year, banning consumption of alcohol in Hunter Square. Only 11 people have been charged with breaking the by-law since it came into force 14 months ago and officers say the problems that plagued the square have almost disappeared.

Inspector Bruce Johnstone, sector inspector for the city centre, said: "Very few people go to Hunter Square to drink any more and if they do, we move them on.

"We are working with off-licences to continue tackling the problem. If we find people drinking heavily in the streets we find out where they bought their alcohol. Then we visit that shop and say 'don't sell it to them again, it's an offence'. We can use their CCTV to point out the person.

"We've found the owners to be supportive. Selling five bottles of cheap cider for a 20p profit each time makes them £1.

"Now they realise that this £1 can cause antisocial behaviour just yards from their door."

In February, council chiefs agreed to suspend the licence at the Mace store on South Bridge for six months after hearing that police had been called to investigate staff selling alcohol to drunks.

Police officials told a council meeting that the shop's licensee, Mumtaz Ali, had "consistently failed" to adhere to warnings.

Insp Johnstone added that police were working closely with alcohol support groups to encourage drinkers into rehabilitation programmes.

He said: "These individuals are not going to stop drinking, even if they can't buy the stuff in the city centre.

"It's an addiction and that is why we are trying to steer them into treatment. If we can cure the addiction then the problems of street drinking go away."

Traders in Hunter Square previously accused the force of failing to use the ban to keep away drunks and troublemakers, but they now believe the problem has been largely resolved.

But it is thought some of the displaced drinkers now congregate around Bristo Square .

Councillor Marjorie Thomas, the city's licensing leader, said: "If shops do sell to people who are drunk they do face losing their licence.

"I'm very much in favour of the approach the police are taking. The safety of our streets is paramount."