Long-term solutions needed for alcohol misuse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A proposal to confine intoxicated people at Berrimah police cells rather than in the cells in Darwin is a band-aid idea with a dangerous downside, said Wendy Morton, Executive Director of NTCOSS today.

 

“We need to address the problem, not just relocate it,” said Ms Morton. “We don’t want to see people with alcohol problems put in police cells. We must invest in sobering-up shelters and alcohol rehabilitation centres to assist these people to become productive members of our community.”

 

“Berrimah Police Station is located on the Stuart Highway where traffic routinely travels at speeds of 80 kilometres an hour,” said Ms Morton. “There are few public transport options available at 6am, when detainees are released, and these people would need to cross the highway to get back into town to access services.”

 

“We need to help those people who misuse alcohol to make long-term choices about healthy lifestyles and healthy living habits. Stop-gap measures are not the answer.”

 

Earlier this year, Northern Territory Chief Minister, Paul Henderson, described alcohol as ‘the greatest social problem facing the NT’. Research suggests that alcohol consumption is most successfully reduced by limiting the number of outlets and the length of time they are open, and imposing a ‘volumetric’ tax on alcohol to raise the price of the cheapest drinks.