Alcohol misuse has wide ranging impacts on individuals and communities. It cuts across many of Board’s interests (e.g. PCT, borough council, mental health trust, police, voluntary sector, university, college etc) and action areas in this Strategy.

The role that alcohol can play in violent crime, including domestic violence, and in anti-social behaviour, together with the adverse impacts on personal health and pressures on health provision means that a wide range of agencies and interests have concerns relevant to this issue.

The Community Safety Partnership has an established group working to reduce violent crime and although this includes some aspects of alcohol misuse its terms of reference do not include the wider agenda. While there are a range of structures in place for drug misuse, the same degree of co-ordination is not in place for alcohol misuse.

The Government’s Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy published in 2004 makes this a priority. It is proposed to convene a multiagency group to take forward joint working to tackle alcohol misuse.