'Drunken Santa' sends a message (From Witney Gazette)

'Drunken Santa' sends a message

7:00am Wednesday 6th December 2006 in Witney By Rosalind Miles

THOUSANDS of lollipops are to be given out to drinkers in Witney, Carterton, and Chipping Norton in a bid to stop fights during the Christmas period.

It is thought that the sugar rush bought on by the lollipops will calm people down.

And, in another seasonal anti-crime move, humorous Christmas cards, featuring a drunken Santa urinating, are to be sent to 200 offenders in West Oxfordshire.

The cards are a fun way of warning people who have been given fixed penalty notices in the past to watch their behaviour this Christmas - or face another £80 fine.

A total of 5,000 lollies will be handed out to revellers by door staff of 60 premises on the Friday and Saturday nights before Christmas.

The West Oxfordshire Community Safety Partnership - the police, the district and county councils, the magistrates, probation and youth offending services, housing trusts, and primary health care trusts - have organised and funded the scheme, which will cost £1,175.

"In West Oxfordshire, we do not have the pressures of the city. We have the room to have a more innovative and pioneering approach."

West Oxfordshire local area commander, Dennis Evernden

West Oxfordshire local area commander, Dennis Evernden, said: "Research shows the sugar content helps to stabilise the behaviour of those who have consumed alcohol. This should, in turn, reduce the chance of disorder and crime, that often occurs in public places following excessive drinking. We hope it will lower aggressive behaviour, and also reduce the noise from people shouting and swearing.

"Lollipops have been successfully used by forces elsewhere in the country to help to reduce alcohol-fuelled disorder, and we hope it produces the same result in Witney."

Andrew Battye, operational manager for the South Central Ambulance Service, said: "When people drink alcohol, their blood sugar level drops, and there is not much sugar in a kebab - what people usually eat after drinking.

"It will help but it will depend on the temperament of the individual as to whether it will work, but it's definitely worth a try. If people have drugs in their system, sugar can help calm things down."

Lesley Semaine, who runs the Royal Oak, in Witney, said: "I think people will like it, especially the girls. It's fun, and people like anything they get free. If they are having the lollipops and talking about that, it might take their minds off doing something stupid."

The lollipops, which come in four different flavours, feature the Nightsafe logo. Nightsafe, which aims to reduce alcohol-related violent crime and disorder, was launched in West Oxfordshire less than a year ago, when the Licensing Act 2003 was introduced. Since then, the scheme has included test-purchasing operations for underage drinkers, the introduction of the CCTV system in Witney, and the launch of Wasted Nights to secondary school students.

The area's Community Safety Partnership is spending £74 on sending its humorous Christmas cards to prolific offenders - it did the same last year.

West Oxfordshire local area commander, Dennis Evernden, said: "We have to maintain a sense of humour. This is Christmas after all. It's an important message, delivered with humour.

"In West Oxfordshire, we do not have the pressures of the city. We have the room to have a more innovative and pioneering approach.

"The cost of crime to society is enormous - £8.8m per year. Doing something small that might make people think before they act is well worth it. £74 is a drop in the ocean."

Bill Oddy, head of community safety at the district council, said: "We could have chosen a card that was more hard-hitting, but people would probably put it straight in the bin. This is more fun, and so is more likely to be put on the mantelpiece and act as a bit of a reminder."

The partnership aims to tackle antisocial behaviour carried out when people have been drinking.

The majority of the £80 fixed penalty notices given in the last year were the result of excess alcohol. Some were for urinating in the street, and others were for violent behaviour, following excessive drinking.

Letters are also being sent to offenders caught with drugs, to warn them of the repercussions if they are caught again. This includes a banning order from all pubs in their local area, and the possibility of receiving an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC). The letters are accompanied by an information leaflet, detailing local drug treatment services.