Barlow's brief

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CHESHIRE chief constable Peter Fahy
CHESHIRE chief constable Peter Fahy
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Anyone could see outcome of bars that target the young

Vic Barlow
29/ 8/2007

CHIEF Constables get no accolades for speaking out. In fact it's highly prejudicial to their career; better to keep quiet or regurgitate the party line approved by Whitehall.

So when Peter Fahy, Cheshire's chief constable, condemned teenage drinking and feckless parents he did not do so lightly. Mr Fahy said his officers are engaged in a 'constant battle against anti social behaviour and alcohol induced violence every day of the week'.

So what happened five years ago when Macclesfield residents staged a campaign to prevent breweries taking over the town centre and targeting the young? No one in authority would back them.

The borough council called it progress, magistrates granted every alcohol licence, planners approved every change-of-use application.

There were no outspoken statements from chief constables then.

Next came 24-hour drinking and supine councillors, terrified of confrontation with the breweries, overruled every community objection.

In theory the relaxation of licensing hours was intended to change us into a benign continental café culture.

Figures released last week by Devon and Cornwall police show violent attacks up 55 per cent since the introduction of 24-hour drinking while alcohol related crime nationwide rose by almost a fifth.

Now that Cheshire's chief of police has stuck his neck out, no doubt a posse of opportunist politicians, eager to jump on the me-too bandwagon, will follow, but remember this: When local campaigners appeared in magistrates court warning of the drunken violence that would ensue, no one in authority wanted to know.

Their reward for speaking out was intimidation and the threat of financial ruin.

So, let's not pretend this drunken mayhem is a big surprise. Anyone could foresee the outcome of cheap alcohol, bars targeting the young and 24 hour drinking.

Anyone, that is, except for magistrates, politicians and police chiefs.


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Most recent 2 of 5 user comments

   McBeth did not look far enough for the figures, they are there. They have been widely reported in the media as well. Seek and yea shall find.
Michael Hunt, Macclesfield
3/09/2007 at 21:04
   Could Vic give the source of his figures quoted from Devon and Cornwall Police? I have looked at their web site and cannot find anything corresponding.
A.A.Macbeth, Handforth
1/09/2007 at 19:54
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