Street disorder and youth drinking are to be tackled in a summer campaign across Scotland.
What began as a pilot designed by the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership a decade ago in North Lanarkshire, “It’ll Cost You” is now a nation-wide campaign fronted by Police Scotland.
The clear message of the campaign is that buying alcohol for minors could land you with a fine, a jail sentence or both.
Police Scotland is working with retailers and alcohol companies to drive home the stark message that buying alcohol for children, proxy purchase, is a criminal offence.
Evaluations of the previous campaigns have shown a steady increase in awareness about the implications of supplying alcohol to minors, but it remains a serious issue with detections being made by police across Scotland during the course of last year’s campaign.
The “It’ll Cost You!” campaign is a collaboration between Police Scotland, the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership and Community Alcohol Partnerships.
This year’s campaign will run from 30 June in communities across Scotland.
Superintendent Joanne McEwan, Police Scotland, said: “This campaign showcases the benefits of key partners working together to inform the public of dangers associated with underage drinking, as well as the criminal consequences for supplying those under 18 with alcohol.”
Luke McGarty, Chair of the SAIP Campaigns Group and Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Scottish Grocers Federation, said: “Retailers are the first line of defence in reducing underage drinking and anti-social behaviour linked to alcohol.
“Our members are robust in ensuring that under 18’s can’t buy alcohol from their stores, so it’s vital that customers support those efforts and are aware of the dangers of proxy purchasing’.
“The “It’ll Cost You!” campaign fits perfectly with SGF’s position of promoting responsible community retailing. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners on the campaign again this year.”
Grahame Clarke, Community Alcohol Partnership Coordinator, said: “The campaign gives us an opportunity to spread the “It’ll Cost You!” message in local communities, highlighting the dangers of buying alcohol for young people.
“We look forward to working with Police Scotland and the Police Scotland Youth Volunteers to make sure that this messaging is carried through all our engagement activity this summer.”
Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Siobhian Brown, said: “To have run this campaign for ten years is a strong example of partnership working to help reduce crime and make our communities safer.
“‘It’ll Cost You’ reinforces the message that buying alcohol for someone under the age of 18, regardless of your relationship to them, is illegal.
“It can put them at risk of becoming vulnerable or involved in antisocial behaviour and if you buy drink for them, you could be fined, imprisoned, or both.
“This campaign highlights the dangers of underage drinking and sends a strong message that this is not acceptable.”
