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Buckfast tops list of Asbo drinks

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Published Date: 20 April 2009
By Tristan Stewart-Robertson
FOUR out of ten young offenders drank the tonic wine Buckfast before they committed their crimes, a new report has revealed.
A massive 81.3 per cent of youths surveyed had drunk alcohol before offending, and 80 per cent agreed that drink had contributed to their offending.

That figure has nearly doubled from a total of 47.9 per cent back in 1996.

Research carried ou
t in 2007 in the Polmont Young Offenders Institution, which looked at alcohol and violence in young male offenders, found 43.4 per cent of those had drunk Buckfast before carrying out their crime.

Another 42 per cent said they had been drinking spirits and 31 per cent had drunk beer. The study was carried out by the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) and was based on surveys with 420 young offenders dating back more than 30 years.

Labour's Scottish justice spokesman, Richard Baker, said: "To have one drink linked to so many incidents of crime is extremely worrying."

Buckfast is produced by Benedictine monks in a Devon monastery. But its distributors, J Chandler and Co, have previously rejected claims that they are responsible for anti-social behaviour among its drinkers.

Commenting on the report, company spokesman Jim Wilson said: "A lot of good people drink our product, not just young criminals. Just naming Buckfast is not fair."

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said minimum pricing for alcohol was a "targeted policy that would most affect harmful and hazardous drinkers". He added: "However, we recognise that certain drinks are chosen for reasons other than price – perhaps due to the image and perceived 'street cred' of them.

"We need to change the culture of looking up to the heavy- drinking hard man."



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1

drunken proffet,

Tassy 20/04/2009 01:24:38
Well the Buckfast/Guiness half in half is quite a pleasant drink. Unfortunately drunk out of a pint tumbler rather than a shot glass.
2

yockel,

20/04/2009 02:52:58
25% of drunk offenders have no taste?
3

Julian.,

edinburgh 20/04/2009 05:12:58
It's a total red herring to blame one drink. If buckfast didn't exist something else would be top of the list and there would be just as many crimes.

The problem lies with individuals who can't behave themselves under the influence of alcohol. Simple solution. ID cards to buy drink, drink bans for those who have commited crimes under the influence, and automatic prison sentences for those who breach the ban.
4

57vintage,

Keith 20/04/2009 07:05:30
In the spirit of "polluter pays" why not arrest the Buckfast Abbey monks too?

Dissolve the monasteries!
5

an interested party,

20/04/2009 07:19:06
I wonder how strongly buckfast features in those that didnt commit crimes nights out,

just becuase 81.3 % of offenders had drunk before there
crime does not mean that if you drink you are 81.3% likely to commit a crime when you drink

there are likely other factors at play
disenfranchised youth ?
where they come from ?
level of education ?
employment level ?

but these are not on the agenda
perhaps not even on the questionnaire



6

drunken proffet,

Tassy 20/04/2009 07:20:24
Look on the positive side, Guiness is good for you and Buckfast is a tonic wine. The government has only your interests at heart. Floating currency and world trade helps the third world countries. Pole dancing, casinos and foreign workers are good for the economy. Why bother to earn when you can borrow to achieve your lifestyle standards. I do not believe it, but then that is what the drink does to you.
7

Weel Kent Jambo,

20/04/2009 08:22:13
And this revelation should surprise us?
8

Alternative (High-Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 20/04/2009 09:29:08
"FOUR out of ten young offenders drank the tonic wine Buckfast before they committed their crimes, a new report has revealed."

OK then, now let's look at it in a different light shall we? One far more representative of the real situation.

What percentage of youngsters, around the "young offender" age group at issue here, drank Buckfast and DIDN'T commit any crime afterwards? Probably the vast majority.

Here we have yet another example of twisting things round in order to generate a knee-jerk reaction from politicians, who will no doubt then go away and come up with another lot of stupid, restrictive legislation to appease the "anti-drink" brigade and make more money in the process.
9

Alternative (High-Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 20/04/2009 09:31:52
(cont)

The act of drinking Buckfast, on it's own does NOT mean that you are any more likely to commit a crime.

If 40% of young offender had been drinking buckfast, what percentage had been drinking other drinks such as beer, lager, wine or even milk?
10

Alternative (High-Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 20/04/2009 09:37:54
Julian:

"Simple solution..."

No. I don't think so. Over zealous enforcement created many of the problems we have now. More of the same will just move the problems elsewhere and compound them.

I reckon that the best thing they could possibly do at the moment is to lower the drinking age to 16. That would remove 16-year-olds from parks, where they supply drink to even younger kids.

11

David55,

Edinburgh 20/04/2009 09:52:09
Buckfast does seem to be the ned's No.1 drink of choice. If the Scottish Government want to ban it or enforce taxes on it then that's fine by me. It seems to be a status symbol drink for youngsters, a right of passage even.

Where do the Government stop though? Tenants Super Strength, Carlsberg Special Brew, Eldorado and the various cheaper vodka/whisky varieties like Glens also seem to end up lying around in stairwells and other out of the way locations, where the associated stench of jakey/ned urine is never far away.

Still at least if they carried it through it would be action rather than words, which makes a change for politicians.
12

Horrible Cankers @Cyber Shebeen,

20/04/2009 10:19:06
Drinking Buckfast is a crime...gag*..boak*..
13

bluehead,

edinburgh 20/04/2009 10:56:01
they should start issuing asbos to politicians in the light of recent events they need them applied more than anybody who drinks buckfast,in fact even the worst drunk looks more dignified than the politician
that are around these days
what a shower!!!!!!!!





 

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