One of the key themes that emerged from my meeting with the Crime & Public Safety Scrutiny committee today was about how West Yorkshire Police are applying themselves to drink related problems around the district.
The 2003 Licensing Act put in place all sorts of initiatives to regulate the "Night Time Economy" but gives people few bits of responsibility or powers to do anything.
One big issue is the way that the act restricts local elected representatives having an input to licensing matters without specific requests from their electorate.
Partly as a community we have problems linked to the volumes of drink that some people consume and the amount of options for people to go out and get blathered at all hours of the day and night.
We also have a problem in the district with some parents/retailers/publicans/older pals, or people out to make a fast buck who supply youngsters with drink.
A frightening example came to light of a young girl (14) who over the weekend was found by Police slumped insensible on the edge of a public park in another part of the district after dark, she was blue with cold. With an empty bottle of Vodka by her side.
If she had not been found on what was a chilly night who knows what would have happened?
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