Booze was behind nearly a staggering 26,000 crimes across North Wales over five years, new figures have revealed.
And 1,624 of those were committed over the Christmas periods December 17 to January 2, between 2010 and 2014.
The figures sparked calls from police and council chiefs for revellers to drink responsibly and with drink-related domestic violence rocketing over the festive period, police are urging victims to come forward.
Drunken crimes included assaults, vandalism, drunk driving, racial abuse, adult and child rape, theft, domestic abuse, threatening and anti-social behaviour and robberies.
Over a six-year period between 2010 and 2015, there were 5,800 arrests for drink driving across North Wales, with 260 made during the December 17 to January 2 period.
The sobering figures were revealed under a Freedom of Information request, showing thousands of crimes were “affected by alcohol” across North Wales - 25,783 in total over the five years.
Wrexham saw the highest number of incidents recorded, with 5,508 over the five-year period, from 2010 to 2014, which remained pretty constant year to year.
Denbighshire had 5,012 incidents, but had dropped from 1,681 in 2010 to 759 in 2014 while Conwy totalled 4,833, again dropping from a high of 1,672 in 2010 to 725 last year.
Gwynedd’s alcohol-related crimes did not fluctuate much year to year over that period with a total of 4,528 and Flintshire saw a total of 3,802 and Anglesey 2,190.
Police in Wrexham say they hope their Think Safe Drink Safe Christmas campaign will make drinkers act sensibly when drinking.
Supt Jane Banham of North Wales Police said; “We want people to enjoy the festive season, but we know from experience that at this time of year some people will come to harm due to alcohol excess and it is the emergency services and local councils who are left picking up the pieces.
“People need to take greater responsibility for themselves and their friends to reduce the likelihood of them being injured, becoming a victim of crime, or being involved in violence through excessive drinking.”
Wrexham council’s lead member for place – communities and partnership, Hugh Jones, added: “Anti-social behaviour and violence will not be tolerated and anyone behaving irresponsibly will be dealt with appropriately and quickly ensuring that North Wales is a safe place to come and enjoy a night out.”
Sgt Mike Robinson added: “I want to inform any victim of domestic violence, that we have dedicated domestic abuse officers and public protection officers across North Wales who will ensure that all domestic abuse crimes are investigated, as well as providing support and information to victims about police procedures and legal proceedings.”
Recently campaigners called for a total ban on drinking any alcohol and driving after more than 250 crashes on North Wales roads involved a drink driver in the last five years.
Figures showed over the last five years, almost 13,000 accidents happened in the region, with police taking roadside readings from more than 65% of motorists, and 259 accidents involved a drink driver.
see-http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/booze-fuels-nearly-26000-crimes-10667320
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