Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay spent Saturday night out on patrol with the police in Warrington.  He describes what he saw here.

Let's be clear here.  No-one's singling out Warrington, we just picked a town at random.  It could have been any town, your town.

Tell us what it is like where you are.

Does your town centre become a battle zone at the weekend?  Do you steer clear?  Maybe you like a weekend out on the razz and see nothing wrong with it?

Maybe you work in the police, or in Accident & Emergency - tell us about your average weekend shift.

Comments

[stephen martin worcestershire Mar 2, 2008 8:12:08 AM]

There is something that really annoys me about all this talk of alcohol abuse and the plans and ideas put forward about it. I am a smoker and because of the damage from second hand smoke to others, the government has decided I can only smoke in certain places, mainly outside. I have always tried to be responsable in pubs, by not smoking if I see children around or choosing a table far away from non smokers. But where alcohol is concerned, nothing is done about the second hand damage from that. Answer me this, how many times has somebody smoked 10 ciggarettes in a night and no alcohol and got in his car and killed somebody because of it or gone home and beat up their wife and children or gone out of the pub and beaten up some poor innocent person who just wanted a quiet night out or ended up in A&E and abused our great nurses and doctors. Also, everybody goes on about the strain on the health service from smokers, but what is the cost from alcohol abuse.
I am sick of the fact that I rarely drink, but one reason for that is that I can't go into my town with my wife on a night out, without the worry of getting hassled.
There are plenty of ways to stop this situation, without going to prohibition, like rationing the amount of alcohol people can be served. It would only take a electronic card that could be swiped every time you bought a drink in any pub. But then of course you would have people saying it is big brother and his id cards! I would say, so what? If you are honest, hard working and law abiding, what have you got to worry about. But thats another topic you do not want me to get started on.
The answers to this problem are available, its just going to take somebody with a bit of steel in the government to do something about it.
I am sorry to say that I am also fed up with the "Experts" that give their opinions on the the news about this problem, going on about the underlying causes etc, etc.
It comes down to this. The government decided we could not make informed choice about smoking, so they limited it. So they should do the same with alcahol and maybe we could all sleep safer and enjoy our towns and cities again.

[Anne Manchester Feb 21, 2008 1:09:25 PM]

Parenting today is too much electronic babysitting, if kids are not in front of the TV or playing on games consoles and the like. These kids don't develop normal social skills so lack confidence and need a bottle of Vodka inside them to have a good time. When they realise that not even a drink helps any more thats when they kill themselves-we should be ashamed of some of our parenting habits compared to the rest of Europe we are a disgrace. Fast food, TV, Game consoles, alcohol abuse what a mess.

[Ben Nevis Feb 19, 2008 7:33:34 PM]

I live in a little village in Scotland.

Last Friday night two people (in the loosest human sense), a male and female, were out on the High Street screaming drunken profanities at each other for about half an hour. They woke up my little daughter as well as the rest of the High Street.

This is not unusual and, thankfully, did not end up in the usual full blown fight and indiscriminate vandalism that haunts the victims and fuels communal isolationism.

Britain really is a sick country; it has a significant strata of population that are morally bankrupt, thick, illiterate, sleazy, ignorant, lazy, uncouth, alcoholic, drug addicted, work-shy, aggressive, noisy and criminal*; sadly however, these people will always vote labour as they have (like a dog never bites that hand that feeds it) enough blurred sense to understand that voting labour healthily sustains their addiction to their ‘decayed world’ life-style.

Our numpty politicians from Thatcher to Brown have totally betrayed the Great British majority, the real British people that made this now mortally wounded country a vibrant and safe place to live. Our politicians are traitors to real British people and British values.

Rule Britannia? Great Britain used to rule the waves; now the only waves we see is when British people wave goodbye as they flee the sinking ship.

Goodbye Great Britain; Welcome to Labour Britain.

*When it comes to labour politicians you can add ‘corrupt’.

[Carla, Johannesburg Feb 13, 2008 9:42:42 AM]

I think the biggest problem is that many children are raised without discipline and this leads to bad behaviour without any consequences. If parents started dealing with problems at home without trying to be so PC you would find that their children would grow up with dignity and respect, sadly qualities lacking in most British youths by the looks of things.

[mary london Feb 10, 2008 6:52:19 PM]

I used to be proud to be british now im ashamed to say that. This country has gone to the dogs, noone has any respect in this country anymore, all the government and people cre about now adays is money, firemen getting attacked by youths where are the parents,people getting their heads chopped off fires around the globe i think it abit funny that the government or police are not isuing any comments on these events lately as they seem so ripe everytime you open a newspaper lately people are killing, looting, fires, attacks its damn right disgraceful. What sort of a world have our children got to look forwrd to. This country is no longer ours to be proud of it has been taken over by terrorists and the quicker the government do something about it the better. Just want to add im a smoker and all you hear in the news is ban smoking when do you ever get anyone going out and bashing uop somebody when they have had a ciggarette, drinking does more harm kids getting run over by drink driving youths attacking our firefighters what are the government going to do have alcohol free pubs because they got smoke free pubs but of course they are not going to do tht because they wolud stand to lose so much revenue from it. instead of the locl councils building mosques why dont they build more prisons for these convicts thats why we got so much crime because they arent getting punished as our prisons are so over crowded. Just like to say if i had the money id leave this country tomorrow.

[Shashi Sharma, Slough Feb 2, 2008 1:59:57 AM]

Please DO SOMETHING now as this is going out of control. The name and reputation of this great country is at stake. It is our moral duty to behave nicely. We were at one time the example of the PERFECT GENTLEMEN SOCIETY. I would like to see our Government act NOW and give Police and Courts more power and harsher punishment to offenders. Think of the future generations and in the future there will be nothing left to be proud of. Wake up now and save this Great Nation so that we can leave the better society for the coming time.
ps: Learn something from Singapore.

[Bigman Warrington Feb 1, 2008 11:49:36 AM]

I am a 25 male who is born and bred in Warrington. The town has always had a fighting culture. My grandad used to tell tales of mass fights in the town center with the American service men stationed at Burtonwood during the second world war. I myself have drank in Warrington since I was 15 and have to admit in my younger teenage years was invovled in a few scrapes myself. I have witnessed some quite bad violence in my time in Warrington town center but several months ago a freind of a freind was fatally attacked with a screw driver I must now admit I have reservations about visiting the town centre.

[Max Feb 1, 2008 11:30:38 AM]

Why do we blame the police, the government,teachers and anyone else in authority.
We keep avoiding the issue that is in front of us - bad parenting.
If children don't know any respect in their household they will not respect anything or anyone.

We need to get to the heart of the matter and that responsibility lies with the parents.There are no excuses for this behaviour we are unfortunately an island that believe that having a good time is equivalent to excess.
To prove this go abroad and look at the way some behave there.

Ashamed to be english.

[N Odje Jan 31, 2008 2:01:47 PM]

Human Rights activists should forgive me.But I think that we need to be retrogresive in order to be more progressive in fighting binge drinking and its consequences.
Emough of the softly softly approach. We need to opt out from all the so-called Human Rights laws into whch we are now enmeshed. Because we need drastic measures such as public flogging,public namimg and possibly castration or amputation of limbs;if necessary.
Those who think that thses measures are too extreme should think of the pains suffered by the victims of crimes arising from Binge drinking.So much police time is being wasted.Excessive drinking also puts pressure on the hospitals both now and in the future when youths become adults.Remember George Best? Drastic times demand drastic measures.
N.Odje

[DENNIS HERTS Jan 30, 2008 7:43:21 PM]

DOOR SUPERVISOR WARRINGTON
I agree with all you say let members of the Goverment spend 6 months in a top floor flat in one of the no-go areas let them Smell the urine, Gag at the vomit,Feel the fear,See the needles,Step over the young girl with the her skirt over her head, out of her mind on booze,Brave the stair wells where people are shooting up and dealing,Like you work on the door always with that little fear in the back of your mind this could be the night!,Putting up with abuse from punters,Trying to help those both male and female only to have them turn on you because they are out of their minds on drink,Knowing that now days you have as much to fear from the women as the men (A woman drunk is a nightmare)indeed many girls spark off the trouble,KEEP SAFE MATE from a Ex Door Supervisor used to call us Bouncers but that aint P.C.

[Lisa, Shropshire Jan 30, 2008 6:40:04 PM]

I am 28 and it seems to be the 'kids' who are 5-10 yrs younger that are causing alot of the problems - they leave school with no qualifications, get rubbish jobs, spend all their money on booze and smoking and then wonder why they are looked down on by the older generations. They have never achieved anything in their pathetic lives and have no ambition to do anything good. I am not a snob but I do know how to behave. We need harsher treatment - before this country turns into a disgusting rotting pit. I am in America right now - they think the way younger people in the UK act is disgusting - its embarrassing.

[andrew beeble bradford Jan 30, 2008 2:42:25 PM]

i think the rise in street crime these days (and mainly alcohol related crime) is down to the fact the most people old and young are angry and frustrated at the the government of now and the last conservative government.people work all week for pittance and hand over large amounts of money in tax each month to the local councils and governments and whats left is not enough to live off-people are struggling to pay mortgages/rent/buy food/ being happy in this life costs a fortune and those that cannot afford drink thier sorrows away and it is then that resentment and tension is released through alcohol fuelled violence.
Everyone i know is fed up of struggling from one week to the next trying to keep their head above water with the high cost of living ,thes are unhappy people who see getting through life a misery rather than an enjoyment .look at the droves of lucky people packing in and moving abroad to live where life can be enjoyed much cheaper than here.the cost of living in britain is out of control and anarchy is now on our streets.things will only get worse just as they have been doing for the last 20-30 years.

[Trampmajor, UK Jan 30, 2008 11:11:01 AM]

All things said and done, Leeds is very peaceful by night even when it's busy. The city centre is reassuringly expensive, well managed and the young people here are aspirational social climbers. The bars are open late but that hasn't created any problems. The problems with places like Warrington are with the people and the social groups in those areas.

[Paul, watford Jan 30, 2008 10:15:56 AM]

Almost every weekend I will down twice the recommended weekly limit of alcohol in one sitting. I have been doing this for about 15 years and have never once started a fight, yelled abuse at innocent bystanders or stabbed anyone. Although alcohol plays a part in the chaos on our streets the real blame lies with some youths lack of respect for anyone. Kids need to be taught respect from an early age (the hard way if neccesary) but the ridiculously PC rules put in place by this government are preventing this. Lets give our police some powers back.

[James, Aberdeen Jan 29, 2008 10:17:30 PM]

I think may Brits drink becuase of our culture, our society makes us behave too conservative, for most it's a release of all that tension, the only way they feel comfortable when around others and in chatting to the opposite sex.

A solution would be to have a license to BUY drink, those who cannot control themselves should not be allowed a license to buy it (like driving) and refused entry to pubs etc. I'm sure we would see a drop in anti-social behaviour if people thought their license would be taken from them.

[Door Supervisor. Warrington Jan 29, 2008 8:19:09 PM]

I have lived in Warrington all my life and enjoyed my social days in the 70/80's. The town was a good place to be and you could go out and enjoy yourself without worrying. Of course there were fights but in those days when two guys had a fight they used to shake hands at the end.

I now work as a Door Supervisor in the town and can honestly say that the events in this video are only the tip of the ice-berg. Events like this happen nearly every night.

It was interesting to read some of the comments, everyone gives their opinion. The comments of people saying they've never witnessed incidents in Warrington is unbelievable, where do they drink?
Mr Gordon Brown and your colleagues who live in your 'plastic environment' come and spend a night in this town or any other and see what we have to put up with.

The Council's, Police, Door Security, bar owners and their staff are being blamed for everything and this is wrong.

Over Xmas 06, the town had a trial putting taxi marshalls in place to cover this particular taxi rank. They effectively controlled the taxi queue and there was not even one incident. ~It has been stated many times that they should be permanent but who will pay for it. The taxis who use this rank were asked to contribute a small nominal sum per week but they refused saying they could not afford it!!!!
I know for a fact that everyone concerned are working very very hard to control this but their hands are tied by bureaucratic nonsense.

The Council's CANNOT by law stop these bars opening 'THAT IS THE LAW'. Police and everyone is stretched to the limits. Their hands are tied by legislation, mainly introduced because of 'Human Rights Act','Do gooders' or greedy solicitors encouraging people to 'SUE' anyone that dares to look at you nevermind injure or insult you.

I'm ashamed to be from Warrington, it used to be a great town but now it's full of young people who believe that they have the complete freedom to do and say anything to anyone and also believe that they have the right to fight tooth and nail for what they believe to be their rights. Bull****, some of these people are the s*** of the earth and what's more most of these people are not from Warrington but from neighbouring towns who bring their filthy mouths, foul manners, appalling social etiquitte and fists into the town 'pretending' to have a good night.
When will all this end? I believe it won't until zero tolerance is brought in. One way could be to send anyone home in a special taxi when found to be 'misbehaving or drunk or ' and then send them a bill of at least £100, then bar them from the town for 6 months. Unfortunately this will probably never happen.

We need to change the mindset of these people and force them to take responsibility for themselves, is what needs to change but whose going to do that? The Council ? the Police ? the Government ?

This alcohol fuelled night time behaviour is appalling but unfortunately we are becomming de-sensitised to this and it appears to becomming 'normal' behaviour.
I think one guy hit the nail on the head when he said it's drugs and not drink that is causing the problem. I totally agree, bring the dogs out!!!!

[Richard U.K Jan 29, 2008 4:04:53 PM]

The problem is here to stay !
Might sound pessimistic ,but unless really drastic action is taken (ie cut the offenders hands off , or like someone said above , lock them in a basic bunker for a week )its not going to change . There is no deterrent for these numb-skull morons to stop them behaving like this.This has been the case since the 1950s when teddy boy gangs graced the streets , the 60s gave us mods & rockers, the 70s Skinheads & punks , All these group were allowed to get away with much the same behaviour . It is great that that our country can produce such diverse youth cultures with their fashion & music,but the signs were there back then ,but nothing was done , in the same way that football hooligans have been around for decades and the problem is not delt with once & for all -
Zero Tolerance
I like a drink , but i do not think i am superman after a good drink.

[Alan, Portsmouth Jan 29, 2008 3:24:59 PM]

Okay,

I used to go out as a teenager, and get drunk, and I enjoyed every minute of it, I never got in to any trouble though, just get drunk and go home.

Perhaps it is time to raise the age of 'Public' drinking. I think 21 is too low, and would say 25. If you can't act responsibly by 25 then your likely to never act responsibly.

Trouble is, at 18 you are classed as an adult, and can work, marry, have sex, smoke, have debt etc etc, so you can't stop working, married people having a drink at home.

Bars/Clubs should be more responsible too, but of course for them drinking is profit, so it's kind of like letting the villain be policeman, not really going to work. Also, there is a fine line between 'quite merry' and 'fairly drunk'.

At the end of the day, there are only two solutions.

1. Stop (or at least curtail) public drinking.

2. Much tougher sentancing. I like the 7 days, straight to jail, do not pass go idea mentioned by a previous poster.

Of course, for me none of this is an issue, I generally drink at home with my friends, off the streets and out of harms way, that way we never get any trouble, and spend about a tenth of what we would in a club.

[Clare, Warrington Jan 29, 2008 3:19:59 PM]

I have just read the article about Warrington Town Centre and the fight that broke on Bridge Street over taxis...to be honest it is the same in the same spot most weekends...over the xmas period the council put on late night buses running from around half 2 until half 4am - this is a great solution - there are always lots of arguments over who is next in the taxi queue - I am not a regular in town but i do believe a small action such as the return of the night bus will cut some of this out. Obviously this is not the answer to all of the towns violence but it is something worth trialling that may cut out one incident occuring. I have lots of friends that used the night buses too and they are all of the same mind. At least with this service up and running again there are not hundreds of drunk people standing around almost waiting for trouble.

[Ian Reynolds - Sutton Surrey Jan 29, 2008 2:00:29 PM]

Come to Sutton high street in Surrey (South London) for a night out at the weekend. We have one of Londons largest and most modern police stations half way up the high street, so when you're attacked you only have a short distance to walk to report it. The majority of the pubs in Sutton have increased the age of entry to 21 - but still the crime keeps on happening. Last week a lady was marched up the high street at knifepoint to a cash machine and forced to withdraw cash. Nice ! National service is always the 1st and best answer to troublesome teens, but in absence of this the government should implement a scheme whereby all children are made to benefit their local area once they leave school and be employed by the council to work with the borough in improving all aspects of it (encouraged to give something to the community). Start campaings to de-glamorise drinking, it worked with smoking !

[pat bennett southampton Jan 29, 2008 1:37:47 PM]

I have sat here and read every word everyone is saying.You can blame,booze,kids,parents,police (not enough),supermarkets ect,ect,ect and you know what it wont make the slightest difference to this (democratic) country or the people in it. It is a combination of everything and it will only get worse!!!!!!
The greatest culprit in this is the succession of politicians who are to worried about what the rest of the world is like, if they look good on the political stage then so what if britain is going to the dogs,they have a place in history to lookafter.We need to stand up as people, together, get rid of the present stock of politicians all accross the board, democracy doesnt work(not their kind anyway) change this rot.I personaly would like to start another party.Are you proud to be British? I am!! when I am allowed to do so.Why did everyone want to come to our country? because it was great!!!Sometimes change is not good ,sometimes you have to admit when your wrong,AND CHANGE IT BACK. If it is not broken it doesn't need fixing!! Our kids used to have something to do!! I for one would follow another party and I bet most others would to If they actually stood for BRITISH

[Bob McGuire USA Michigan Jan 29, 2008 12:49:00 PM]

Hi English Guys.
In downtown Utica Michigan USA there are several bars. One in particular called the Locker Room Saloon is always in the police reports. There are some scuffles but public urination is the usual problem. Guys come out of the bar and urinate at the curb. Then get arrested. Public urination is bad but it carries with it an addition to the sex offenders list which can follow you everywhere. Just last month a couble got arrested for having sex up against the front wall out side the bar. The thing is that the Police Station is only 4 doors down.

[Wesley, Newcastle Jan 29, 2008 12:12:13 PM]

If you're young like me you'd be better off emigrating. I'm off as soon as I get the chance. This country could be doing a lot better but I can't see any improvement on the way. Canada's a more pleasant place to live.

[Jane, London Jan 29, 2008 12:01:53 PM]

When I was growing up, I would never have dreamed of speaking to a police officer the way those girls and boys spoke to the police on the programme last night - that's because my parents brought me up to be respectful of people older than me and of the police. There is no disclipline in children and young adults - even in schools teachers are penalised for correcting children - TAKE A LOOK AT PARENTING IN THE UK - this is what is to blame - you only have to look at the gang culture and stabbings and shootings - YOU SHOULD KNOW WHERE YOUR KIDS ARE and if they are too old for you to be giving them rules, bring them up to respect other people and themselves. No wonder everyone is leaving this country for good - the place is an utter shambles but each and every one of us needs ot look at how we can make it better and stop blaming the Government, the pubs, the police etc etc TAKE SOME RESPONSBILITY

[john parkinson south africa Jan 29, 2008 12:01:19 PM]

hi having seen the violence
caused by alchol it is not surprising that the powers to be cannot control this.
Parents have a task in educating their offspring as the basics of right/wrong doings,this should be clearly spelled out,misbehave and suffer,bring back 'the good old fashioned stick' it is not the answer,but having
said,it does hurt,i remember
my school days in Fleetwood
a fishing port,life was hard
after ww11,if you got caught
breaking the'law of your street' be it playing with
a football.noisy,misbehaving
tha local 'Bobby'would dish out his punishment,further once parents knew you got a
similar punishment,dont forget
the Headmaster,shall i go on.
Why not bring back National Service?the unemployment problem is in my opinion due
to the benefits handed out,
no work,no pay is the case here in South Africa.

i am afraid that certain elements are now in control
and to bring back any form of punishment would not be allowed.no more is Britain 'Great'or Rule Britania,sad days for the 'survivors' of a once great Nation,

thanks JOHN.