The inaugural State of Preventive Health report highlights the commitment of federal, state and territory governments to good health among all Australians. NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione is was one of a number of leading Australians who contributed to the report.
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Each and every day, the NSW Police Force bears witness to the terrible toll that alcohol misuse and abuse takes on the community:
• family and domestic violence in homes
• a continuing factor in the road toll
• a contributor to self harm
• senseless violence at licensed premises.
So much police time is devoted to dealing with the consequences of alcohol related crime and anti-social behaviour, whether it’s dealing with victims, witnesses or offenders; 70 per cent of the street offences that our police deal with have alcohol as a related factor.
Sadly, many people demonstrate an inability to drink responsibly and as a result become intoxicated to the extent that their behaviour places them or others at risk.
There is a culture that tolerates being intoxicated as an excuse for violent or anti-social behaviour and a view that aggression is caused by the alcohol and not the individual.
Our young people and particularly those under the age of 18 are most vulnerable to the damaging effects of alcohol. Excessive use can increase their risk of becoming a victim and/or an offender of alcohol related crime.
But while it’s a social problem that needs to be arrested, is it a problem that we can arrest our way out of?
Police cannot be the first line of defence in combating and reducing alcohol-related crime - alcohol is not illegal, the consumption of alcohol is not illegal and intoxication on its own is not illegal. Rather, it is the actions that too often occur as a result of intoxication that are illegal.
We need to look to and emulate the success of other law enforcement, public health, and social amenity campaigns. We buckle up our seat belts, front and back, without a second thought. We accept that being caught drink-driving isn’t bad luck, it’s a crime. We’ve witnessed the successes of anti-smoking campaigns.
It will be difficult to change the culture of alcohol when there is a safe level of use, and where that use is considered a normal part of life. Having a drink is a very Australian thing to do.
Nonetheless, I believe that the community needs to reassess our celebration of alcohol; our infatuation with drinking to get drunk; and our right to have yet another drink, any time of day, any day of the week.
It has to start with personal responsibility. Taking responsibility for yourself and looking out for those you care for, those who have lost the capacity to act responsibly because of intoxication, but who will be held responsible when their actions affect others: a child, a spouse, an innocent pedestrian.
So I urge everyone to put some meaning into the phrase personal responsibility. Give it some meaning in your own life and let’s make the change that has to be made.
Commissioner Andrew Scipione is the NSW Police Commissioner
State of Preventive Health 2013: http://www.anpha.gov.au/internet/anpha/publishing.nsf/Content/state-of-prev-health-2013
