Alcohol and Crime Statistics
This page provides details of statistics related to alcohol and crime. There are clear connections between alcohol use and crime, but it is important to remember that most people drink alcohol and do not commit criminal offences.
Statistics
1722 (17.6%) of the 10,555 persons arrested and brought to Charing Cross Police Station in 1994 were arrested for drunkenness offences (Niven & Cherrett, Evidence for the Mental Health Foundation Expert Working Group on Persistent Drunken Offenders, Metropolitan Police Service, 1995)
In 1994 probation officers reported that 305 of their caseload has severe problems with alcohol and that for over 7 in 10 of this group this alcohol problem was directly related to their last offence. (National Association of Probation Officers, Substance Abuse, Mental Vulnerability and the Criminal Justice System, 1995)
45% of remand prisoners have a significant problem with alcohol, 20% of sentenced prisoners have a significant problem with alcohol, approximately 7% are dependent on alcohol. 15% of female prisoners are problem drinkers. (A Maden, MD Thesis, University of London, 1982)
In 40% of all violent incidents the victim described the assailant as being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the offence. This includes 44% of domestic violence and 17% of muggings (British crime survey, 2000)
Alcohol use is associated with:
- 60-70% of homicides
- 70% of stabbings
- 70% of beatings
- 50% of fights or assaults in the home
(British Medical Association, Alcohol and Accidents, 1989)
One third of the victims of homicide are intoxicated at the time of death (British Medical Association, Alcohol and Accidents, 1989)
The peak age for arrests for drunkenness is 18 years .
In 41 % of contact crime, including assaults and muggings, the offender has been drinking. (Home office – The British Crime Survey England and Wales, Home Office, 1996)
Around 13,000 violent incidents take place in or near licensed premises each week. A total of 125,000 facial injuries are sustained each year in violent circumstances, and in 61% of such cases either assailant or victim has been drinking. (Home Office Policing and Reducing Crime Unit – Alcohol and Crime: Taking Stock, Crime Reduction Research Paper no 3, Home Office, 1999.)
In a Manchester-based study of the associations between alcohol and deviancy in young people, 25% of weekly drinkers had a criminal record compared with 6-7% of occasional and non-drinkers, with criminal damage, disorderly behaviour and shoplifting being the commonest offences. (Newcombe, R., Measham, F. and Parker, H.-A survey of drinking and deviant behaviour among 14/15 year olds in North West England. 1995. Addiction Research, vol.2, no.4.)
A recent report by the chief inspector of prisons found that a quarter of young prisoners had been drinking when they committed their crime. (Ramsbottom, D – Young prisoners: a thematic review. 1997. Home Office. Quoted in Guardian, 25/11/1997)
In 2000, 19% of violent incidents took place in and around pubs and clubs, including 33% of assaults by strangers and 22% of assaults by acquaintances. (British Crime Survey, 2000)
The British Crime Survey also shows that people who visit pubs and clubs are 3 times as likely to experience violent attacks. (British Crime Survey, 2000)
Screening of assault patients in accident and emergency departments has shown that between 65% and 80% were intoxicated at the time of the injury (Yates et al – Alcohol consumption of patients attending two A&E departments in North West England, 1987, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, vol.80)
