It wants to see greater use of pub exclusions, anti-social behaviour legislation and model alcohol byelaws to reduce violence associated with alcohol.

Figures in a Home Office report, Alcohol and Crime - Taking Stock, show more than 13,000 violent incidents occur in and around pubs in England and Wales each week.

The report also recommends greater use of bouncers at pubs, tougher glass to reduce injurines, greater provision of food in pubs to soak up alcohol and better transport so that people do not drink and drive.

And it says there needs to be a mass media campaign to promote sensible drinking, more use of treatment programmes for people convicted of alcohol-related crimes and better training of police officers dealing with the problem.

The report found that more than half of the 400 crime and disorder partnerships between police and other agencies in England and Wales have a specific policy on alcohol-related crime.

'No magic solution'

The Home Office study was launched at the annual Alcohol Concern 'Crime and Disorder' conference on Wednesday.

Home Office minister Charles Clarke told delegates: "Alcohol-related crime is a significant problem in society - a problem which has no single cause and no magic solution.

"I am particularly pleased with today's recommendations for more joined-up action - only by working together across government, law enforcement, voluntary agencies, and the licensed trade can we reduce crime linked to alcohol abuse."

The government, which is preparing a national alcohol strategy, is to host a seminar of key figures in the area of alcohol and crime early next year and will be publishing examples of good practice in combatting the problem.

The Portman Group, which represents the alcohol industry, welcomed the report, but said it was not just up to the drinks business to deal with the problem.

It called for more government action, including a clampdown on underage sales of alcohol, the criminalisation of proxy purchases of adults for children and the introduction of a national voluntary ID card.

In a survey also published on Wednesday, Alcohol Concern says police believe alcohol is a far greater problem for them than drugs, despite media concentration on drug-related crime.

It says 68% of officers encountered alcohol-related crime and disorder on a daily basis, 96% thought crime statistics did not properly show the scale of the problem and 84% thought insufficient priority was given to schemes to tackle the problem.

Most popular among officers were a ban on drinking in the streets and tougher penalties for offenders.

Drugs

Publication of the Home Office report coincides with a survey of schoolchildren by the Health Education Authority and NOP which shows that only four in 10 15- and 16-year-olds would tell their parents if they were offered drugs, compared with eight out of 10 children aged 11 and 12.

However, the survey of 558 young people also showed that 94% of children felt confident about refusing drugs.

A survey of 634 parents of children aged 11 to 16 by Boots the Chemist and RSL Capilbus found eight out of 10 thought it important to talk to their children about illegal drugs, but many felt they lacked the information they needed to do so.

Boot has launched a Parents' Guide which gives practical information and tips on how to talk to children about drugs and alcohol.