The lunatics were out again last night!

All police are on duty F,S, nights until things change.

And who's going to pay them?

Isn't it this law that prompts all the "habituals" to carry their precious bottles around in a brown paper bag? If you get caught with an obvious liquor bottle, they're more likely to nab you?

nope that is an open intox (IE you can not drink alcohol in the public) vs a public intoxication (terms may be different in different jurisdictions).

Is it against the law to be intoxicated in public? I mean, if you're not causing a disturbance or driving or anything like that. Surely one can be happily drunk without running the risk of being carted off to jail!

I'm with Chary.

You shouldn't be allowed to harrass other people or cause a disturbance when drunk (just as you shouldn't be allowed to do those things when you're sober.)

But if you're happily stumbling through town, whose business is that but your own?

I'm with Chary.

You shouldn't be allowed to harrass other people or cause a disturbance when drunk (just as you shouldn't be allowed to do those things when you're sober.)

But if you're happily stumbling through town, whose business is that but your own?

I suppose you could say the thinking was that you might do yourself or someone else an injury? I suppose it's good that they at least check on people stumbling around because it's just possible they are ill and not drunk.  DS's friend is an EMT and says that they don't like to have to go pick up drunks because the hospital ER doesn't want them so they have to dump them on the police who throw them in a cell to sleep it off.

I lived in Leicester city centre for 3 years and frequently walked home from work around 10-11 pm. The level of drunkenness was startling for me. Seeing vomit in the streets was a weekly occurrence. I witnessed some assaults, as well. Thankfully we no longer live in the centre, but this aspect of UK culture is a big turn-off for me.

RH

It's everywhere here, and it disgusts me. The odd thing is I see is more in the "rich" parts of town then where i live. I grew up in Philly and could walk down the streets at midnight and not get bothered. Here you glance at someone or walk on their side of the street when they are drunk and you have a huge problem. I've been hassled on the train at 3 pm on a Sunday by a bunch of 20-30 yr old men. I've been hassled on a Monday night by 14 yr old girls. Its one of the few things i detest about living here..

Seeing vomit in the streets was a weekly occurrence.

this!  I live in Loughborough (not far from Leicester) and was shocked to see how many pools of sick there were in the early mornings at the weekends.  Hell, even one pool of vomit is too much, to be honest!  I've lived in city centres in several countries and never experienced this before.

And I'd like to add, the local people here seem convinced that it's all Uni students (it's a Uni town, really, whether or not they'd like to admit it) causing the trouble, but I'd FAR rather run into a group of the Uni students out on the piss.  And yes, they probably are responsible for some of the sick, but it's not as if it all disappears when the students are away at the holidays!

*edited* to add: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/world/europe/24crete.html?_r=1  okay, it's about British holidaymakers overseas, but it's on the same subject.  A Facebook friend posted it the other day.  She's a big Anglophile, living in the US, and I honestly think she didn't believe the article.   

I read this article years ago and now that I am hear seeing it, I think some of it is true.  While I was young and drinking the states not that long ago (only 30 now), I just don't remember the amount of drunken harassment and run in with the police nearly as much in the US as here. 

Moderator: Please be kind, we're talking to real people about real issues and we all come from different walks of life and different backgrounds. Please remember that before you post.

Thanks