|
Underage Drinking: Huge Increase in Cautions
There has been a massive increase in the number of people under the age of 18 years old in Tayside who have been cautioned for drinking alcohol in a public place. The number of underage drinkers being cautioned has increased from 44 in 1997/98 to 618 in 2006/07.
The figures show that the number of cautions for underage drinking in Tayside has gone up almost every year since 1997/98 and Murdo Fraser MSP is calling upon parents to do a better job at making sure their children are not out on the street and underage drinking.
Commenting, he said: “The increase in the number of underage drinkers being cautioned indicates that there are more and more youngsters drinking illegally in public places.
Parent's Duty
“I acknowledge that a number of towns in Tayside have introduced local by-laws to ban drinking in public places but nevertheless it is worrying that underage drinking in public areas is so widespread if so many young people are now being cautioned. We must clamp down on the number of underage drinkers out on our streets and in our parks.
“These figures show just how much of a problem underage drinking is, and indicate that there must be a number of ‘no go areas’ in our towns due to this problem. It is important that parents know what their children are doing when they are out on weekends and I believe it is a parent’s duty to make sure that their child is acting responsibly.”
|
