Policing alcohol‐related incidents: a study of time and prevalence

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the prevalence and impact of alcohol‐related incidents on police resources in a major Australasian region.

The paper shows that participants in the current study were first response operational police officers who completed a modified activity log over a five‐week period, identifying the type, time spent on, and the number of alcohol‐related incidents that were attended (n=31090).

The findings in this paper indicate that a substantial proportion of current police work involves attendance at alcohol‐related incidents i.e. 25 percent. The most common incidents police attended were vehicle and/or traffic matters, disturbances and offences against property, which were also the most likely to involve alcohol. These events are most likely to occur in the early hours of the morning on the weekends, and importantly, usually take longer to complete than non‐alcohol related incidents.

The findings in the paper highlight the pervasive nature of alcohol across a range of offences and provides a current perspective regarding the considerable impact that alcohol‐related crime has on policing resources.