General Article Drunk and disorderly? Pay to stay in the 'drunk tank'

Topic Selected: Alcohol
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Chief Constable Adrian Lee, the national policing leader on alcohol harm, said that people who need medical treatment after excess drinking should no longer be the responsibility of the police service.

Launching a week-long campaign aimed at highlighting alcohol harm, Mr Lee suggested that intoxicated individuals be taken to a cell run by a commercial company and charged for their care the morning after.

‘I do not see why the police service or the health service should pick up the duty of care for someone who has chosen to go out and get so drunk that they cannot look after themselves,’ he said.

‘So why don’t we take them to a drunk cell owned by a commercial company and get the commercial company to look after them during the night until they are sober?

‘When that is over we will issue them with a fixed penalty and the company will be able to charge them for their care, which would be at quite significant cost and that might be a significant deterrent.

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