Longer pub hours bring 'more crime and ambulance call-outs'

Longer opening hours for Aberdeen pubs brought a rise in crime and alcohol-related ambulance call-outs, researchers have found.

When 38 bars were given permission to sell alcohol up to 03:00 between March 2017 and October 2020 there was a 11.4% increase in ambulance calls on weekend nights.

The University of Glasgow team also found an 8.5% increase in reported crimes during the same period.

The findings were revealed as Aberdeen and other Scottish cities have been granted extended pub opening times during the World Cup in June.

Glasgow university said the findings demonstrated a link between additional opening hours and "negative outcomes".

Aberdeen City Council told BBC Scotland News it had "robust" arrangements in place to support a safe night-time economy.

The BMJ Public Health-published research assessed the impact of changes to bar and club licensed hours in Aberdeen and also Glasgow.

In Glasgow, after 10 nightclubs were granted a one-hour extension to 04:00 in 2019, the study found "no material impacts".

However, they noted a wider study did find other frontline services were put under strain.

They said late-night extensions of between one and three hours granted to 38 pubs in Aberdeen "significantly" impacted ambulance call-outs and crime .

They said the contrasting findings between the two cities may be explained by the relatively large number of venues involved in Aberdeen, the longer extension in hours granted and type of premises involved.

In Glasgow, only nightclubs taking specific safety measures were eligible for the extra hour.

The research also showed that peak times for alcohol-related ambulance callouts moved later in Aberdeen, from between 00:00 and 01:00 to between 01:00 and 02:00.

Ambulance call-outs were significantly higher among men and people under 45.

"This is consistent with prior research showing that younger individuals, particularly men, are more likely to engage in risky drinking behaviours and are more at risk of alcohol-related ambulance call-outs," the report noted.

Dr Md Nurnabi Sheikh, research associate at the University of Glasgow's School of Health and Wellbeing, said: "Our findings in Aberdeen demonstrate a clear link between additional opening hours and increased negative outcomes.

"The significant negative impact on both alcohol-related ambulance call-outs and reported crimes in Aberdeen - where more pub and bar premises had longer extensions - highlights the need to consider both the number and types of venues that can operate extended opening times."

The research was part of a larger study led by the University of Stirling, which also included Glasgow Caledonian University, the universities of Manchester and Sheffield, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Prof Niamh Fitzgerald of the University of Stirling, and principal investigator of the wider study, said: "Our study shows that local authorities need greater powers to control the number and type of venues that are allowed to open later at night because large-scale extensions will result in increased health harms and crimes.

"Whilst this part of the research didn't find measurable impacts in Glasgow, local stakeholders there reported in interviews that the 04:00 extension in just 10 nightclubs put frontline services under severe strain."

Aberdeen City Council said it worked closely with Police Scotland, licensed premises, and other business partners.

"As with any period of increased footfall and extended opening including major events, partners review arrangements and put proportionate measures in place," a spokesperson said.

"Licensing applications are considered through the established process, including consultation with relevant partners."

Police Scotland said an appropriate policing plan would be in place during any World Cup extensions around Scotland.

The Scottish government said decisions on licensing hours rested with local licensing boards.

It published guidance regarding the World Cup for licensing boards earlier this year.