Alcohol-related assault: findings from the British Crime Survey rdsolr 3503

This study used the 1996, 1998 and 2000 British Crime Surveys (BCS) to identify the extent and nature of alcohol related violence in England and Wales. It provides an overview of the extent of alcohol-related violence between 1995 and 1999 and identifies factors associated with a heightened risk of being the victim of an alcohol-related assault perpetrated by a stranger or acquaintance, and the nature of such incidents. It also gives some trends over time. Findings suggest that there were around 1.2 million incidents of alcohol-related violence in England and Wales in 1999, a significant fall in numbers since 1995. A number of risk factors for alcohol-related violence are identified such as age, sex, employment status and drinking habits. The physical and emotional impact of alcohol related crime is also identified.

The report concludes that policies that are most likely to be effective in tackling alcohol-related assault are those that will target aspects of the environment that appear to be conducive to violent behaviour. It also suggests that because alcohol related crime is poorly reported to the police, it may be useful to supplement recorded crime data with additional data sources to build a fuller picture of local alcohol-related crime problems.