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CUT-PRICE plonk is cleared from a shop’s shelves – to stop it ending up in teenage hands.
Whether its Lambrini or Lambrusco, cheap sparkling perry wines are the tipple of choice for teenagers.
But this summer bottles of the fizzy stuff will be in short supply in a part of Newcastle.
Police have persuaded off-licences in the city’s West End to remove all 75cl and 1.5litre bottles of the plonk from
their shelves, over the summer months, in a bid to cut crime by depriving kids of their favourite drink.
And it is hoped that the ‘perry-drought’ will help cut anti-social behaviour until the youngsters return to school.
PC Joe Birkett of the Benwell and Elswick Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We want young people to be
aware of the dangers of alcohol, which can lead to anti-social behaviour and also have health implications.
“Removing cheap alcohol from the shelves of local shops makes young people think more carefully about how
they spend their money and encourage them to drink responsibly.
“We are working closely with off-licences and will continue to take firm action against adults who buy alcohol for
people under the age of 18.” The action has been taken as part of Northumbria Police’s Safer Summer Streets
scheme, which aims to crack down on underage drinking and anti-social behaviour.
The operation was launched at the end of July and will run until early September.
Officers from the Benwell and Elswick Neighbourhood Policing Team are also working to engage with young
people and trying to encourage them to take part in more positive activities than hanging around the streets and
getting involved in crime and disorder.
But they are also getting tough on anti-social yobs by sending letters to the West End’s worst offenders warning
them they face serious action if they continue to make life a misery for other residents.
The warning letters tell them they have been identified as someone who has recently been involved in anti-
social behaviour or underage drinking, and warns them of action which will be taken if they are found causing
trouble again.
Other activity as part of the Safer Summer Streets initiative includes extra patrols in anti-social behaviour
hotspots by officers who will be adopting a zero tolerance approach to disorder by both young people and
adults.
And off-licences suspected of selling alcohol to underage teens are also being checked on