Too Drunk to Party?

In a new attempt to cut down on violent drunken behaviour in Norwich, Norfolk police will be handing out breathalysers to clubs in the city centre. As of Saturday the 30th of November, thirty venues in Norwich will be supplied with the equipment under the campaign #DeepBreath.

Bouncers may start to reflect this particular meme…

Successful trials in September saw two clubs provided with the equipment, used to test the percentage of alcohol in the body. This reading then allowed entry staff to determine whether or not a guest was too drunk to be allowed to continue their alcohol fuelled antics on the premises.

The results are considered beneficial in helping to cut down the rate of alcohol fuelled violence and anti social behaviour.

An individual deemed to be too drunk would not be admitted into a venue and would therefore be unable to carry on drinking. Additionally the measures put in place can help prevent bar staff from serving customers who are drunk, which is a criminal offence. By providing breathalyser readings venues are being provided with a standardised definition of whether or not a customer is drunk, rather than relying on subjective opinion.

Do you think you are too drunk by the time you turn up at Kartel after other clubs are closed?

However as of yet there are no standard limitations on what is considered to be drunken behaviour. There has been no limit set by police as to what a safe alcohol amount is, and clubs will be able to set their own limitations. This could possibly mean that a customer refused entry into one club could then be allowed into another, making providing the breathalyser results useless.

Is this a fair way of judging club goers behaviour on nights out? Do you think that it will cut down on drunken behaviour, or do you just see it as a way of clubs making more money buy limiting the amount of pre drinking that can be done prior to entering a club?