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Police call on youth to help shape drinking culture

This May, police across Australia and New Zealand are urging young people to help shape our drinking culture to be a safer more responsible one. Police are using this upcoming Operation Unite to highlight to youth the risk of injury, assault and violence associated with excessive alcohol consumption. They are calling on youth to help change our ‘drink to get drunk’ culture.

Over 80 per cent of young Australians and New Zealanders are regular drinkers. Unfortunately for many young people, the harmful impacts of a ‘drink to get drunk’ culture are not always understood says Jon White, CEO of ANZPAA, the agency that serves Police Commissioners in both countries.

“Binge drinking is routine and planned and police are alarmed that young people don’t seem to realise that when they go out and get drunk they are putting themselves and their mates at risk of being victims of alcohol-related violence,” says Mr White.

Police say that we can all play a part in creating change. Parents and peers have an important role to play in educating young people’s attitudes toward alcohol. The wider community can help encourage young people to make the right decision when out drinking; to be responsible and avoid violent situations that put themselves and others in danger.

“Police understand that we all need to help young people develop skills and lifestyle habits that will ensure they can lead healthy and socially responsible lives. A lot more can be done with young people to reduce the harms of excessive alcohol use. It is time for us in the community to increase our focus on this important issue,” Mr White says.

Research conducted by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) 2007 found that young Australians are starting to drink at an earlier age and most drink in a way that puts their health and others’ at risk.

Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation Foundation (AER Foundation) Chief Executive Michael Thorn said: “The nation is so saturated by alcohol advertising, alcohol is made so readily available and sold so cheaply in our supermarkets, it comes as no surprise that young people are drinking to excess.

“Our recent community polling¹ found that 1.6 million young people are drinking to get drunk regularly. The AER Foundation supports police efforts in Australia and New Zealand to champion greater awareness of this issue, and we look forward to working together to target the structural and social environment that promotes this unhealthy drinking culture.

Operation Unite starts this Friday, 13 May 2011 and ends Sunday, 15 May 2011. It will involve overt and covert licensing operations, random breath testing, mounted police, dog squad and additional police patrols.

References:
¹ The AER Foundation-commissioned Galaxy study was conducted between 14th to 17th January 2011. It was national online survey (excluding NT) and was weighted by age, gender and location (based on ABS population estimates) to the national population. There were 1,009 respondents aged 18 years and above.

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Notes to the Editor:

Operation Unite: A Blitz on Drunken Violence

On 13-14 May 2011, Australian and New Zealand police will stage an Australia and New Zealand Weekend of Action called Operation Unite: A Blitz on Drunken Violence.

Operation Unite demonstrates the united determination of police to challenge alcohol-related crime, violence and antisocial behaviour and the united resolve to achieve change.

Operation Unite is about cracking down on alcohol misuse and making people feel safer and more secure. Alcohol misuse is a major issue in both Australia and New Zealand and together we need to develop solutions.

To find out more information on Operation Unite please visit www.anzpaa.org.au
For alcohol misuse statistics please go to www.anzpaa.org.au

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