Alcohol safety weekend of action launched in Calderdale

Drinking alcohol responsibly and enjoying a safe night out in West Yorkshire’s towns and cities are the aims of a weekend of activity to encourage drinkers to take better care of themselves.

This is a national weekend of awareness, focussing on alcohol licensing and harm reduction, which starts on Friday, September 19 and coincides with Freshers week and the return of the student population to the county.

Over the coming weekend, West Yorkshire Police is planning a range of activities across the county to encourage drinking responsibly and also to remind pub and bar owners of their legal responsibility to their clients.

There are a number of successful ongoing initiatives including three years of the Purple Flag accreditation in Halifax - which recognises excellence in the management of night-time economy in towns and cities.

This weekend is the launch of the White Ribbon campaign at a Halifax nightclub on September 20 which focusses on decreasing violent incidents against women that are specifically related to alcohol.

There will be a free bag drop for women, a charging station for mobile phones and a taxi chaperone facility.

Roadshow events will be held in Halifax town centre with beer goggle activities that simulate the effects of drinking and alcohol wheels to show how many units of alcohol there are in certain drinks.

Officers across the Districts have been working with the universities and partner agencies to provide advice to students about the health dangers of drinking too much alcohol and the risks of becoming a victim of crimes including assaults, sexual attacks, drink spiking, theft, and loss of mobile phones.

They will also be promoting the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) which is the UK’s national proof of age accreditation scheme, endorsed by the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the Trading Standards Institute (TSI).

From the afternoon of Friday 19 to 7am on Saturday 20 September the Customer Contact centre will be running a Tweetahon sharing some of the experiences of officers out on the beat and the calls coming through to 101 and 999 that relate to alcohol harm. You can follow the Tweetahon on the Force Twitter account @WestYorksPolice or #alcoholharm.

Chief Inspector Dan Greenwood said: “Lots of people like to go out, enjoy a few drinks at the weekend and let their hair down and West Yorkshire offers a lively and diverse night-life that attracts people from all over the UK. Unfortunately our officers see the other side of a good night out and every weekend we are called to deal with incidents where people’s health and personal safety is put at risk as a result of excessive drinking either by themselves or by other people. A fun night out drinking with friends can quickly turn into a nightmare if you get involved in a violent altercation, are the victim of theft or leave yourself vulnerable to danger.

“We work closely with pub and bar owners to make sure that they comply with the terms of their licences as they play a role in customer safety, for example by not serving people who are obviously already very drunk. During this weekend we will be highlighting some of the ongoing projects we have across the county to encourage responsible drinking and staying safe on a night out and visiting alcohol venders to ensure they are adhering with their legal responsibilities.

“We welcome people to our towns and cities for a night out but make sure it has a happy ending by drinking responsibly and staying safe.”