Senior police officer calls for privately run 'drunk tanks'

Privately-run 'drunk tanks' should be considered as a way of tackling soaring levels of alcohol fuelled crime, a police chief has said.

Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police, Adrian Lee, who is the national policing lead on alcohol harm said he did not see why police and health services should use their precious resources cleaning up "after someone who has chosen to go out and get so drunk they cannot look after themselves."

He has suggested that the drunken offenders should pay for their care when they sober up the next day. Dan Rivers reports.

A Daybreak survey of police officers have revealed that 95% of officers believed too much police time is spent on dealing with drunk individuals.

More: 95% of police think drunks waste too much of their time

The chief constable said it is time for a cultural shift in attitudes to drunken disorderly behaviour.

He said the privately run "drunk tanks" would take strain off police services and A&E clinics, and care for the intoxicated in a safe environment.

Crime prevention minister Jeremy Brown welcomed his comments, saying weekend binge drinking behaviour had turned some places into "no-go areas for law abiding people."

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