SINGAPORE — There should be stricter enforcement against public drunkenness in hotspots, where large crowds typically indulge in heavy drinking, and the Government should consider having restrictions on the consumption of alcohol in hotspots, said the Committee of Inquiry (COI) into the Little India riot today (June 30).

Making the dual recommendations in its report, the COI noted that a “triggering event” could spark a breakdown of public order in hotspots, such as Geylang, as it had happened in Little India on Dec 8 last year.

The COI said it understood the manpower difficulties the police may face in stricter enforcement of public drunkenness, and suggested the police could consider “less manpower-intensive methods”. These include more widely publicising the offence and its consequences and using scientific criteria to define and determine the threshold for the offence (as is done for drink driving).

The COI also said that while it supports the concept of restricting the hours or places in which one may publicly consume alcohol in hotspots, such restrictions should not target eateries — which are licensed to sell or serve alcohol — nor their immediate vicinities. The COI recommended targeting the consumption of alcohol which occurs away from eateries and outside buildings, in public areas such as walkways and playgrounds.

Noting that views on what should be done about the sale and consumption of alcohol in Little India and beyond “remain divided”, the COI said it did not believe an island-wide ban on the public consumption of alcohol was needed.

Such a ban would affect a large number of people in a large number of circumstances, much of which need not be policed, said the COI. The ban would also disproportionately favour businesses who own liquor licences for on-site consumption as those who wish to socialise over drinks would then only be able to buy and consume alcohol on such premises.