2025/05/13 by Carly Lightowlers, Lucy Bryant · 1 voice
Health Professions · Medicine · Social Sciences · #Crime Patterns and Interventions #Homelessness and Social Issues #Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/bjc/azaf045
openalex publication_date 2025/05/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/23
Abstract COVID-19 restrictions significantly altered alcohol availability across England, at times with on-trade premises closed, presenting a novel opportunity to examine the effects of off-trade alcohol availability on violence. Police recorded violent crime data were used to examine changes in the level and proportion of (i) violence as well as (ii) domestic violence, which was alcohol-related during this period. On-trade closures saw the proportion of violent incidents recorded as alcohol-related fall only subtly (by 3 percentage points in months of closure) and did not lead to a significant difference in the proportion of domestic violence, which was recorded as alcohol-related. This suggests off- and on-trade alcohol availability may be comparable contributory factors to levels of violence and domestic violence.