New community partnership launched in Scarborough to tackle underage drinking

Some of the members of the Scarborough CAP including police, fire and rescue, Scarborough Borough Council community safety team and retailers.

The Scarborough Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) will work with youth services and organisations to provide alcohol-free activities for young people.

It will also work with schools in the town to take a proactive approach to alcohol education and ensure that young people are equipped to make the right decisions about drugs, alcohol, and antisocial behaviour.

Sandra Rees BEM, Scarborough Borough Council Community Safety and Safeguarding Manager, said: “We are committed to being part of the partnership to improve the lives of local young people and the well-being of the borough’s communities.

"By showing young people the serious effects underage drinking has on them and those around them, and the actions they can take to ensure a better outcome for themselves and others, we aim to put them at the heart of improving their life chances and being part of building a better borough for all.”

CAPs are made up of partnerships between local authorities, police, schools, retailers, neighbourhood groups and health providers, working together to prevent alcohol-related harm to young people and improve the quality of life for residents.

Since CAP was created in 2007, it has launched 217 schemes in England, Scotland and Wales and has brought a 61 per cent average reduction in weekly drinking among 13 to 16-year-olds in CAP areas.

Kate Winstanley, Director of Community Alcohol Partnerships, said: "I am delighted to see the launch of a CAP in Scarborough. Underage drinking is associated with school and educational problems, unprotected sex, drug-taking, violence and drinking problems in later life.

"In just over a decade CAP has set up more than 200 partnerships around the UK and our evaluations show they are having a significant impact on reducing children’s alcohol consumption, improving their health and wellbeing and enhancing the communities where they live."

In Scarborough, partners include North Yorkshire Police, the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, North Yorkshire County Council Trading Standards, Scarborough Borough Council Community Safety and Safeguarding, local schools and retailers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons and Lidl.