Geordie women committing fewer violent crimes whilst drunk

A freedom of information request has revealed that arrest rates have dropped for the number of women committing violent crimes whilst drunk in Newcastle City Centre.

In 2015, 77 women were arrested for committing violent crimes whilst drunk in the city centre; the figures have dropped to 26 arrests in October 2018.

The graph below shows the figures from the past four years, highlighting a considerable drop from 2016 (72) to 2017 (31):

Newcastle City Centre police chief inspector, Dave Pickett, of Central Area Command, has said: “Newcastle has a reputation for a great night out and a lot of that is to do with the fact people know they can come here and be safe from any violence or disorder.

“We are very proactive in arresting people for being drunk and disorderly before they go on to commit violent assaults while we also have great relationships with licensees, door supervisors, and the public themselves.

“This time of year is particularly busy and we encourage the public to drink responsibly and look after each other.”

Violent crimes vary from murder and manslaughter to robbery and the sentence depends on the severity of the crime.

The infographic below defines the various types of violent crimes:

Councillor Habib Rahman, Newcastle City Council cabinet member for communities, said: “It is pleasing to see the reduced figures for 2017 have remained at a similar level for 2018 so far.”

He continued: “The fall in number of women [committing violent crimes whilst drunk] can be attributed to a number of things, including the brilliant proactive partnership work that goes on in the city between key organisations to educate people of the effects of alcohol.

“Hopefully, these figures continue to decrease because while we love that our city is a vibrant and attractive place to come, it needs to be safe for everybody.”

Independent alcohol education charity, Drinkaware, aim to reduce alcohol misuse and harm in the UK.

Drinkaware works directly with public sector bodies and the alcohol industry to tackle alcohol related harm.

Ben Butler, director of content and communications at Drinkaware, said:

“Whilst it’s encouraging that there has been a decrease in arrests of women who have committed violent crimes whilst drunk in Newcastle City Centre, the figures continue to show alcohol’s impact on a significant number of people.

“Excessive drinking leads to an increased risk of being involved in violence as well as the increased likelihood of ending in vulnerable or dangerous situations.

“Binge drinking is drinking too much or too quickly on a single occasion and this increases the chances of accidents resulting in injury, misjudging risky situations or losing self-control.”

The North East was the binge-drinking capital of Britain in 2017, based on figures from Public Health England.

Hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions all worsened in the region for over 18s in 2016/17; South Tyneside had the highest rates, with 1077 per 100,000 of the population being admitted into hospital.

The figures also revealed that over 30 percent of adults in the North East were drinking over the recommended guidelines of 14 units per week. This was the highest figure for all of England and lead to concerns for the public’s general health regarding alcohol consumption.

SR News reached out to the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office for their thoughts on the drop of the number of violent crimes that women have committed whilst drunk over the past four years and they have refused to comment.

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