North Edinburgh has a new Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) based at Drylaw covering the Forth and Inverleith wards. The CAP was launched at Spartans Community Football Academy yesterday, and over the coming weeks more community groups and youth organisations will have the opportunity to help develop and contribute to a local Action Plan.
CAP is a Community Interest Company, designed for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good.
The CAP aims to bring together a range of professionals in order to tackle underage drinking and the associated anti-social behaviour. It involves Police, trading standards, alcohol retailers, youth groups and other agencies working together to reduce harm to the community from alcohol through education, enforcement and diversionary activities.
The are over 170 CAPs in operation over the UK and three have already been established in Edinburgh; in Leith, East Edinburgh (Piershill/Portobello) and Corstorphine.
The North Edinburgh launch was well attended, with local Police, Trading Standards officers, Housing officers, major local retailers and schools all represented.
The event offered an opportunity to share experiences and membership of the group is expected to expand following the launch of a Local Plan. A follow up meeting is being planned for early next month.
CAP encourages local partnership working to tackle underage alcohol misuse and associated anti social behaviour. CAP is unique in that it recognises that retail is part of the solution and has been shown to be more effective than enforcement alone.
CAP Advisor for Scotland Alan Simpson (pictured above with PC Sarah Hall, who has been leading the local CAP initiative) said: “A significant proportion of children have not only drunk alcohol before the age of 18 but are likely to have been drunk at least once in the last four weeks. This can be seriously damaging to their health and development and impact negatively on the wider community.
“CAPs offer a great opportunity to make a real and lasting difference to our nation’s relationship with alcohol, starting with the current generation of young people.”
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