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Tougher enforcement against public drunkenness needed: COI

SINGAPORE — Apart from restricting alcohol consumption in hot spots where large crowds indulge in heavy drinking, the authorities should enforce more strictly the rules against public drunkenness in these areas, the Committee of Inquiry (COI) into the Little India riot said in its report.

SINGAPORE — Apart from restricting alcohol consumption in hot spots where large crowds indulge in heavy drinking, the authorities should enforce more strictly the rules against public drunkenness in these areas, the Committee of Inquiry (COI) into the Little India riot said in its report.

More vigilant enforcement in hot spots would help to mitigate the effects of excessive drinking and the threat to public order, and would also deter individuals from drinking excessively to the point of causing a nuisance for others, the committee said.

The COI said it understood the manpower difficulties that the police face in stepping up enforcement, and suggested using less-manpower-intensive methods. These include publicising the offence and its consequences more widely as a deterrent and using scientific criteria to define the threshold for excessive alcohol consumption.

Although the COI supported restricting the hours or places in which alcohol may be consumed in hot spots, it said such restrictions should not target eateries which sell or serve alcohol nor their immediate vicinities. It recommended targeting the consumption of alcohol that occurs away from eateries and outside buildings.

As the views on what should be done about the sale and consumption of alcohol in Little India and beyond “remain divided”, the COI said an island-wide ban on public drinking is not warranted. Such a ban would affect a large number of people in many circumstances that may not require policing. It would also disproportionately favour businesses that own liquor licences for on-site consumption as those who wish to socialise over drinks would only be able to buy and consume alcohol in such premises. Limiting the number of liquor licences is also not the solution, “so long as those who have those licences are willing to stock and sell ever-larger quantities”.

Although public consultation on alcohol intoxication and public drinking began before the riot, an area in Little India became the first to fall under alcohol curbs after the Public Order (Preservation) Act was invoked following the incident.

Under the Public Order (Additional Temporary Measures) Act that was passed in February, public drinking is banned in this zone and the sale of alcohol is prohibited after 8pm on weekends, public holidays and the eve of public holidays. The curbs will stay in place until March 31. Amanda Lee

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