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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think that drunk tanks are a good idea?

128 replies

TheBadCat · 18/09/2013 12:19

The idea is that police could hand over drunks to private companies, where they would be held in rooms and supervised, then charged the next day for the cost of their care.

Link to bbc article

The article mainly focuses on how this might free up police resources, but my sister works in a&e and so much of her job is babysitting people who have nothing wrong with them other than having drunk too much. This mostly involves cleaning up vomit and piss, no real nursing skills required.

I suspect that if people were vomitting the police would still have to take them to a&e, but aibu to think that most members of the public would be behind the introduction of this type of scheme?

OP posts:
Tortington · 18/09/2013 18:51

anything which involves the welfare of people - be they drunk or not - and is handed into a private purse will guarenteed to be

A) some friend of some high up tory - guarentee it

B) most importantly profit driven.

what has irked me most about todays online papers is this - the picture in the guardian and other papers was of a woman sat on the pavement - too pissed to move.

now i have various issues with that - but lets not go there right now.

This is strongly, strongly not the case. Most are younger men in groups pissed up, rowdy, smashing bottles, causing trouble.

these people will have to have the police escort them becuase they will be drunk AND disorderly.

so there will not be more police resources AT ALL.

sure if you want to keep things as they are - and then just let the police send a bill out to the drunk arrested fuckwits for police time and resources - then do that and USE THAT to get more police resources.

private companies is NOT the answer.

people will die whilst friends of the government make billions off my tax money

it will then be used as an excuse to cut police resources in the long run.

pigletmania · 18/09/2013 18:54

Limited tat is an accident totally different scenario. You are not going round pub to bar wanting to get totally obliterated. What is te problem with making people responsible for their actions Hmm seems to be a dirty topic

MrsTerryPratchett · 18/09/2013 20:39

EduCated in the case of the one near me, it is a choice. The people either self-referred (in which case they walk in); are referred by community workers (so, a homeless shelter worker might tell someone they are not safe to stay in the shelter but will be given a cab to the centre); Police or Health worker referred (so, the choice is centre, jail or A and E). No one is forced to stay. However, they are given nasty sleep wear so might choose to stay while they are dressed like that.

If they walk out while too under the influence, so that they are a risk to themselves or others, Police or Ambulance are called.

The staff are a mixture of health and social care staff. No one will aspirate vomit or die of an overdose in their care. It is probably not a coincidence that both the workers I know that do night shifts there are 6 foot 5 and over. They are both lovely but people tend not to argue with them. They are both also very experienced addictions workers.

I do think that it works on many levels. For example, a drunk student turns up two weeks in a row. Someone would definitely have a word about what is going on, what drinking looked like growing up, whether they need ongoing health advice. A chronic drug or alcohol abuser turns up all the time, they can be referred to withdrawal management and rehab.

No one can make money out of this system but it should SAVE us all millions.

EduCated · 18/09/2013 20:57

MrsTP That sounds like a great resource. But I highly doubt that a privatised version here would be so good Sad

MrsTerryPratchett · 18/09/2013 21:00

I agree EduCated. It will be a poorly run, dangerous, shit show that makes someone a lot of money. Shame because it could be great.

Featherbag · 18/09/2013 21:21

I'm an A&E nurse, and I've seen far too many people with intracranial bleeds, hypoglycaemia and all manner of other life-threatening ailments present as totally wasted. The big problem being that they often ARE totally wasted in addition to being very ill indeed! I can't see any self-respecting, half-decent doctor or nurse signing up to work in one of these places, and without proper medical assessment people WILL die. I can see so many potential problems with this idea that it seems ludicrous.

Now, if we could just persuade Joe Public and his mother to actually think about whether another service might be more appropriate before rocking up to A&E, THAT would have a massive impact on our workload!

QuintessentialShadows · 18/09/2013 21:25

I am behind this.

In Norway, the local newspaper even publish how many people were taken in to spend a night in the drunk tank, or "drunk prison" as it is called. They are given a fine. £100 pissing in a public place, drunken disorderly, a night in the cells, you can add as many as you like.

QuintessentialShadows · 18/09/2013 21:26

Oh, and if a drunk gets into a cab and cant pay his fare? Passenger is taken to the Drunk Prison where his cab fare (including from his destination to the prison) is added to his final invoice. Grin Great!

SpottyDottie · 18/09/2013 21:32

I haven't read the article but have always thought that something like this is a good idea, but it needs to be well thought out. Hopefully it would free up police and NHS resources.

I saw a documentary ages ago about something similar in Alaska but they weren't charged bed and board though. Instead they were released the next day because they'd sobered up. If they'd needed medical attention they were seen to, but the majority were just drunk and needed to sleep it off.

AKissIsNotAContract · 18/09/2013 21:35

What do drunk tanks look like?

wanderings · 18/09/2013 21:55

The idea of "taking drunks to the nearest cage" is not a new; in the 18th century a drunk would find themselves imprisoned in the "village lock-up" (search for this on Wikipedia); a tiny building containing just one cell. Some of these buildings are still standing. The drunk would remain there overnight, ready to be escorted to the magistrate in the morning.

So all we need to do is to reopen some of these buildings, and put them to their intended use! Grin

And while we're at it, bring back the stocks and public beheading for politicians who commit treason (Bliar).

SanityClause · 18/09/2013 22:15

It's the idea of it being run by a private company that's so off-putting.

MrsTerry's scenario just sounds so much more ...civilised!

EduCated · 18/09/2013 22:30

As a way of triaging and caring for people in a vulnerable state, providing care and helping them access appropriate services and resources - great.

As a political toy, privatised, money making scheme which penalises rather than supports - not great at all.

SPBisResisting · 18/09/2013 22:35

Sorry I've not read thread so could have missed this discussion
How could this be enforced? Private companies running cells = illegal imprisonment surely? Surely you have to be arrested before you can be detained?
And is it illegal to be drunk now (I've not heard anthing about disorderly/antisocial behaviour, just drunk). In which case, I am drunk, should I be worried about the police turning up?

SPBisResisting · 18/09/2013 22:37

OK I see EduCated has asked
I heard this reported by the BBC. Drunks picked up in public places and taken to privately run cells for the night.
So false arrest surely? For being drunk...

Yamyoid · 18/09/2013 22:43

Fecking hell. Scary stuff. Can't believe so many think it's a good idea.

EduCated · 18/09/2013 22:45

Yeah, SPB, that was my first thought Confused How would this be enforceable?

soul2000 · 18/09/2013 22:59

This is what was going to be called"European style Cafe Culture" labour party 1997.

There is a simple way to reduce binge drinking and get a bit of law and order back to the towns. Simply reduce the number of licensed premises.
Those that are licensed should have strict opening hours for instance, pubs close at 11 o clock. Clubs of which only a few should be licensed to 2-3 am meaning enough people who are not inebriated and are fit to can have a drink until 2-3 am.

This is nothing new this is how it was until the labour party came up with this "cafe culture" nonsense, not only did it create mayhem on the streets of cities and towns in the uk it led to the death of the "Nightclub Industry".

As for drunk tanks the kind of people who will be found in drunk tanks will not have the means to pay the fines., What do you do with them, do you give them a 14 day jail sentence in are expensive jails.

This whole culture could have been avoided if the goverment of blair had not courted votes by this policy.

hiddenhome · 18/09/2013 23:07

People need to start taking responsibility for their actions. Getting pissed and causing filth and mayhem on the streets is not what a responsible citizen should be doing Sad Drunkeness causes so much misery in this country.

SPBisResisting · 18/09/2013 23:11

Anyone else feeling all christmassy, btw?

hiddenhome · 18/09/2013 23:15

you can't say the 'C' word in September!

SPBisResisting · 18/09/2013 23:17

But it was christmas eve, babe...

BlingBang · 18/09/2013 23:18

What's crap is that young people in the UK think getting rat arsed from an early age, falling over drunk and puking up etc is normal (well it is for the UK), funny and something to aspire to. Probably have no idea that many other countries have a different approach. They see it as shameful to drink where you lose control. The young people are more mature, responsible and like to be in control. Where did it all go so wrong in the UK.

hiddenhome · 18/09/2013 23:19

Nooooo!!!!!

SPBisResisting · 18/09/2013 23:21

...an old man said to me "won't see another one"...