New partnership will tackle underage drinking problem in Fleetwood's parks

A Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) has been set up in Fleetwood to highlight the risks of underage drinking and improve the health and wellbeing of local young people
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Launched on August 1 with a week-long series of activities designed to gather the views and concerns of the local community around young people drinking in the town, it aims to raise awareness of the support available to local retailers and parents.

CAPs are made up of partnerships between local authorities, police, schools, retailers, neighbourhood groups and local organisations. The Wyre CAP, led by Wyre Council, will work with partners and members of the local community including Lancashire County Council Trading Standards and Children & Family Wellbeing Services, Lancashire Police, Lancashire Fire and Rescue in addition to local social housing providers, schools and retailers.

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Underage drinking is being tackled in FleetwoodUnderage drinking is being tackled in Fleetwood
Underage drinking is being tackled in Fleetwood
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It will liaise with youth services and local organisations to provide alcohol-free leisure and sports activities and with local schools and parents.

Working with local retailers, the CAP aims to help them avoid making underage sales and reduce proxy sales where adults buy alcohol for under-18s.

Kate Winstanley, Director of Community Alcohol Partnerships, said: “Underage drinking is associated with school and educational problems, unprotected sex, drug-taking, violence and drinking problems in later life.”

Neil Greenwood, Head of Environmental Health and Community Safety, commented, “Fleetwood is a great place to live and we want to keep it that way, however, we’ve seen pockets of anti-social behaviour in local parks, many of them involving young people and linked to alcohol. We hope that by working in partnership with other organisations we can address some of the factors that result in underage drinking and reduce the harm that alcohol causes to our young people and our communities.

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“Keeping our young people safe is paramount and this proactive approach using a combination of education, enforcement and providing diversionary activities demonstrates how the community and local organisations are uniting to offer support”.

Officers from Wyre Council and the Police have been out in the community, collecting residents’ views on young people’s drinking and anti-social behaviour.

To have your say and voice any concerns, visit, www.wyre.gov.uk/CAPsurvey