Alcohol-related violence: is the night-time economy wholly to blame?

• In Event: Violence, alcohol and other drugs

Abstract

Whilst the night-time economy is associated with public drunkenness and associated violence and is thus the focus of much crime prevention policy, there have been longstanding challenges to effectively isolating the effects of off-licenced premises on violence. Yet this is a crucial component for understanding of the role alcohol plays in violence generally, and specifically within the home.

Licensed premises closures introduced through public health restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic have made it possible, for the first time, to isolate the impact of the off-trade on violent crime. This study makes use of UK Home Office police recorded violent crime data for England to run growth curve models, exploiting this variation in off- and on-trade availability, to examine the association between alcohol availability and violence.

Our findings show that the association between alcohol and violent crime was amplified in periods in which on-licensed premises were closed.

They challenge the assumption that on-licensed premises and the night-time economy in which they cluster are wholly driving the alcohol-related violence problem and underscore the importance of disaggregating the impact of on- and off-licensed premise sales and associated alcohol consumption on violence. They provide valuable insight into the role off-trade alcohol sales and home drinking play in alcohol related violence - applicable to areas including alcohol licensing and pricing (including taxation policy) and violence reduction. Moreover, the findings add to the importance of a distinct focus on off-licensed premises and their contribution to crime/violence as well as to an emerging body of work denoting the importance of distinct consideration of alcohol’s role in domestic violence.

Authors

• Carly Lightowlers, University of Liverpool

• Lucy Bryant, Institute of Alcohol Studies and Open University