Prevalence and characteristics of alcohol-related incidents requiring police attendance

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of alcohol-related incidents attended by operational police within three of the largest cities in Queensland (i.e., Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Townsville; n=7,398). There have been only a relatively small proportion of Australian studies that have examined the prevalence and characteristics of alcohol-related incidents requiring police attention, and most are based on small sample sizes that are representative of specific populations.

Participants in the current study were first-response operational police officers who completed a modified activity log during a 5-week period, identifying the type, prevalence, and characteristics of alcohol-related incidents that were attended (n=31,090).

Overall, approximately one in four incidents attended by police during the study period involved alcohol, whereas only 3% were drug related. The most common incidents police attended were vehicle and/or traffic matters, disturbances, and offenses against property. A closer examination revealed that disturbances and vehicle/traffic-type incidents were almost twice as likely to be alcohol related as compared with the overall percentage of incidents. Similar findings were evident between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, which highlights the consistent impact of alcohol on police resources. Offenders were more likely to be young males, whereas victims consisted of a relatively even number of males and females.

The findings highlight the pervasive nature of alcohol across a range of criminal incidents, demonstrating the tremendous impact alcohol-related incidents have on police resources and can potentially contribute to the development of more effective, problem-oriented strategies to address alcohol-related crime.