Street drinking in Hounslow [PDF]

The Police ViewThe Police ViewPolice with frontline responsibility for community policing in the Central Hounslow PoliceSector were asked of their experience of street drinkers. They visit the drinkers around thebus garage area daily and perceive this as the busiest hot spot estimating there to be call outsto the bus garage approximately every two days. They said that at least one drunk wasarrested every day. They described the typical problems as public urination, disorderlybehaviour and vandalism of buses.Officers explained that there can be a conflict between the public’s view of disorderlybehaviour and how the police perceive disorder, but that they do arrest drinkers wheneverthey upset the public enough. The Officers were very conscious of the police resourcesinvolved in arresting a drunk, describing them as:-• A minimum of 2 ½ hours of paperwork• Cell time of 6 hours• ½ hourly checks by the jailor• A doctor would need to be called out whatever time to assess the fitness to detain• Cleaning the cells after releasePolice felt concerned about a lack of service intervention, and that they had contacted localservices and been told they do not work with street drinkers.Police are now able to give tickets (on the spot fines) instead of arrest. It was felt unlikelystreet drinkers would pay the fine and would serve the alternative day in prison.Page 27