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But do they curb riotous behaviour?
By Bob Smyth
Scottish police forces have handed out more than a million pounds in fines for drunken troublemaking and other anti-social behaviour.
Alarming figures obtained by The Sunday Post reveal that more than 27,000 on-the-spot £40 fines have been issued.
The catalogue of offences, some committed by people as young as 16, includes riotous behaviour in pubs, being drunk and disorderly, consuming alcohol in public and vandalism.
Among the most shocking cases, two women were fined for being drunk in charge of a child.
Figures revealed under Freedom of Information legislation shed light on the use of Fixed Penalty Notices for Anti-Social Behaviour, designed to reduce the time police spend on paperwork and to free prosecutors and the courts from dealing with minor offenders. The fines aren’t recorded as a criminal conviction.
Tayside Police, which piloted FPNs, has handed out 12,444 over the past three years.
The other forces introduced them between March and September last year and have since used another 15,000.
Numbers issued
Strathclyde brought them in only seven months ago but have already handed out 7633.
Over a year, Fife issued 1874, Central Scotland 1455 and Dumfries and Galloway 715.
Grampian issued 1686 in nine months and Northern 905 over six months.
Lothian and Borders Police’s total of 754, issued over eight months, is low because FPNs are being handed out by less than half of their officers, as part of trials of electronic notebooks.
Nearly half of the fines were for breach of the peace, almost 25 per cent for urinating in public and around 20 per cent for consuming alcohol in public. A total of 562 were for being drunk and incapable.
A woman, in her 30s, in Dumfries and Galloway, and a woman, aged 46-55, in Strathclyde, were booked for being drunk in charge of a child.
Official guidelines say a fine is only appropriate for the offence if the person’s ability to take care of the child isn’t significantly impaired by being under the influence.
Across the country 26 people were ticketed for riotous behaviour while drunk in pubs and clubs and Strathclyde cops fined seven licensees for permitting drink-fuelled mayhem on their premises.
FPNs were slapped on 115 people for refusing to leave licensed premises.
Young troublemakers
Young troublemakers make up a significant proportion, with two-thirds of Strathclyde’s 7600 tickets given to people aged 16-25, half of them for boozing in public.
In Tayside, 670 youngsters aged 16 and 17 were fined, mainly for breach of the peace, vandalism and drinking in public.
In Central, a third of the 329 people ticketed for boozing outdoors were under age.
Overall, vandalism accounted for 1611 fines while 45 were given for malicious mischief. More than 300 were slapped on noisy nuisances playing music or singing too loudly.
Among the forces that provided statistics on age and sex, 14 per cent of offenders were women and girls. The oldest person ticketed was an 83-year-old man in Tayside fined for breach of the peace.
Jack Law, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said, “The number of fines is concerning, especially when so many are alcohol-related.
“Effective”
“They can be effective in penalising people by hitting them in their pocket. However, there is the risk that people accept the fine as part of a night out and don’t learn from the experience or change their behaviour.”
Scottish Conservative Justice spokesman Bill Aitken said, “Clearly this approach saves considerable cost in administration and court time but at the same time it reflects very badly on the level of anti-social behaviour in Scotland’s communities.
“I would also question whether a £40 fine is likely to be a deterrent in many instances.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said, “Evidence from the pilot in Tayside suggests that the penalties can deter people from similar misdemeanours in future.
“We’re pleased that police are using their powers as part of the fight to make our communities safer and more welcoming.
“FPNs are used for simple, straightforward cases to help alleviate the pressures on our courts. Serious or persistent offenders will continue to be dealt with by the courts.”
A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland said, “FPNs have had a number of benefits, ranging from taking thousands of cases out of the court system to reducing time police spent on completing paperwork and increasing the time that officers can spend on patrol and dealing with more serious crimes.”
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