Ms Suzanne Costello:

On behalf of Alcohol Action Ireland, I thank the committee for the opportunity to meet with it today. We are at a critical juncture in terms of alcohol policy in Ireland. The public health (alcohol) Bill, which is currently being drafted, presents us with an opportunity to begin to address the huge burden of alcohol-related harm in our society, with crime chief among them. The harm experienced by the individual owing to his or her drinking is only part of the story of alcohol-related problems in Ireland. The debate on the impact of alcohol-related harm and the policy measures needed to address this harm needs to fully encompass the far-reaching negative effects of the drinking behaviours of people on their families and communities.

Alcohol plays a key role in crime and the type and severity of alcohol-related offences are wide-ranging, from inconvenience and disturbance to violent assault and manslaughter. This is in addition to those offences that are obviously alcohol-related, such as driving under the influence of alcohol. The role that alcohol plays in crime in Ireland is probably most evident to the public in terms of anti-social behaviour and public order offences, particularly at weekends, but its roots spread far wider and deeper than just the highly visible and audible late night incidents on streets throughout Ireland. It is also a key driver of domestic abuse, rape, sexual assaults and problems relating to child welfare. Alcohol has become such a common thread linking reports on crimes of every nature, from manslaughter to child neglect, that it seems many of us do not even recognise it as such any more. Just as we have accepted binge drinking and drunkenness as the norm in Irish society, so too it seems we have accepted the huge burden of alcohol-fuelled crime that comes with it. It is clear that harmful alcohol use is not simply a matter of individual responsibility. The impact of alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour has a ripple effect, extending beyond those directly affected to impact on the entire community, including our perceptions of safety and security.

Members of the Garda Síochána deal with the fall-out of our harmful relationship with alcohol every day. Alcohol is the cause of or influences a huge number of offences and incidents with which gardaí deal, with this in turn putting a huge strain on already limited resources. The cost of alcohol-related crime to the State is an estimated €1.2 billion. This figure is almost a third of the estimated €3.7 billion annual cost of alcohol-related harm in Ireland. As well as the considerable direct costs to the criminal justice system in terms of policing, prison and the courts, there are many additional indirect costs, such as those to business in lost productivity and those specific to the victim. These costs can include injury and trauma-related costs, as well as costs related to property. In addition to the economic costs of alcohol-fuelled crime, it is crucial that we do not forget the human costs in terms of trauma and loss. The human impact can take its toll in the form of fear and anxiety, stress and intimidation, as well as the personal and financial cost of repairing damage, such as that caused by vandalism.

While the role of alcohol in a wide range of crimes has been extensively documented and evidenced, it is not a simple cause and effect relationship. Most people who drink alcohol in Ireland do not commit offences or become involved in anti-social or violent behaviour. However, what is clear is that alcohol consumption, particularly in large volumes, is a significant risk factor for criminal behaviour. As recently pointed out by Mr. Justice Paul Carney when reflecting on this issue, young men with no previous convictions, from good families take a quantity of drink they are not used to and end up the following morning facing responsibility for a homicide or a rape, and it seems to be a lottery as to which it is going to be.

Legislation, particularly random breath testing, strictly enforced by the Garda, was key to the success of the road safety measures which dramatically reduced drink driving offences and road deaths in Ireland. Strictly enforced legislation in regard to the sale and promotion of alcohol is precisely what is proposed by the Department of Health in the public health (alcohol) Bill. We hope that it will have a similarly positive impact on Irish society. Reducing our alcohol consumption through evidence-based policy measures that address the pricing, availability and marketing of alcohol, will also reduce alcohol-fuelled crime, making Ireland a safer place to live and significantly easing the financial pressure it places on the State.