A Scottish initiative designed to tackle the problem of alcohol abuse among children has earned national and international recognition for its success.

The project has cut crime in the pilot area of Renfrewshire by 20% and is now to be implemented across Scotland.

According to a report in the Scotland on Sunday newspaper, the scheme, which involves children as young as ten, has a 100% completion rate, and is also attracting interest from police forces in New Zealand, Holland and England.

The course was introduced 18 months ago as a reaction to the escalating problem of underage alcohol abuse encountered by the authorities in the area.

In Renfrewshire, as many as 50% of children referred to the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration either have alcohol problems themselves or are considered at risk because of parental abuse of alcohol.

Cheap wine and lager

The initiative was set up in a joint operation between the SCRA and Renfrew Council on Alcohol with the backing of local police, to educate young people on the dangers of alcohol abuse.

Annually, around 200 under-16-year-olds are reported in Renfrewshire for under-age drinking.

Most cases involve drinking cheap wine and lager in public places, making them a danger not only to themselves, but to others.

Under the new project, children found drinking are reported to the SCRA, but rather than going through the normal hearings procedure, they and their parents are interviewed by alcohol counsellors to establish their suitability for the scheme.

Startling results

Once on the course, the children attend a series of counselling sessions over the course of a month, with the emphasis on communication between both parties, rather than lecturing children.

The SCRA's Douglas Hope said the sessions concentrate on educating the children about the dangers excessive alcohol intake poses to their health, both directly, and indirectly through the risks of drinking near rivers and in derelict buildings.

The results are quite startling. Of the 90 participants so far, only two have returned to the attention of the SCRA for further misdemeanours, compared with the normal reoffending rate seen by the body of about 40%.

Mr Hope said the effect on crime as a whole had been obvious, with the crime rate down one month by 20% compared with the previosu year.