'Worst ever' students face cheap booze crack down (From This is Hampshire)
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Students from Southampton and Solent universities branded 'worst ever'
4:10pm Monday 16th November 2009 in News
Crack down cheap booze for students
BAR owners in Southampton could hike up the cost of drinks in a bid to stop alcohol-fuelled violence and antisocial behaviour, the Daily Echo can reveal.
Police and council chiefs have told pubs, bars and clubs to stop selling cheap booze which has been blamed for a surge in crime.
It has even led to this year’s batch of students being branded among the worst the city has ever seen.
Southampton’s two universities have defended their undergraduates and hailed the benefits they bring to the city.
Four page investigation inside today's Daily Echo, including stories on:
• Are students out of control?
• How did get so bad?
• The benefits of a large student population
• Will price hikes solve the problems?
• Students have their say
• Police view on the booze problem
• Harassed by drunk students after heart surgery
• The cost of the clean-up
• Why is booze so cheap on weeknights?
Comments(58)
bigronthestaff
says...
12:01pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Lone Ranger
says...
12:08pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Oh well thats ok then.....they can go on and cause anti-social behaviour and alcohol fuelled violence...and residents must accept that because they bring in other benfits...like....um
...um.....spending money in the pubs and keeping them going....and um...um....making work for street cleaners...and um...um...um...keepi
ng our stretched police force busy...and um...um...um.....sor
ry i am at a loss now to see what other benefits that they bring.
.
However i dont think that the universities are to blame or indeed their responsibilty other than informing the students of thier public duty.
fuzzyfelt
says...
12:23pm Mon 16 Nov 09
JJBSFC
says...
12:26pm Mon 16 Nov 09
d s
says...
12:38pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Derek of Dibden Purlieu
says...
12:45pm Mon 16 Nov 09
My View from the Hill
says...
12:51pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Force the lazy s*ds to study, not be go out getting blotto every night, and maybe they need to borrow so much money
djl197
says...
1:19pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Secondly, from the above article it does not make it clear what evidence they have that it is the Uni students causing this. Are the statistics collected by the police able to indicate whether the increase in crime etc has been directly attributed to uni students or could it be just that there has been an increase in crime/violence from the younger members of society - some which I suspect are not Uni students........
Condor Man
says...
1:26pm Mon 16 Nov 09
djl197 wrote:Both universities are massive to the city economy, agreed, but Soton is appalling as a neighbour for residents in Bassett - hence why locals are blocking expansion plans.
Firstly people should remember just how important these educational centres are to the local economy - I think they probably are the largest direct employers and indirectly contribute to the local economy massively. Secondly, from the above article it does not make it clear what evidence they have that it is the Uni students causing this. Are the statistics collected by the police able to indicate whether the increase in crime etc has been directly attributed to uni students or could it be just that there has been an increase in crime/violence from the younger members of society - some which I suspect are not Uni students........
As for students, they are a cash cow being milked by hard-pressed bars. Local kids are much poorer by comparison and per capita cause a lot more problems so it's typical student bashing- I'm amazed arch student basher Alan Whitehead's not been mentioned.
soton1980
says...
1:29pm Mon 16 Nov 09
freemantlegirl2
says...
1:33pm Mon 16 Nov 09
News Fanatic
says...
1:36pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Georgem wrote:Georgem is absolutely right. Most students who want to get blotto will not pay even 'low' prices in pubs. Instead they will tank up at home on in their digs before hitting the city's bars. They could charge £5 a shot and the students would still be drunk after three drinks because they have consumed supermarket booze first.
The war on licencees continues, I see. Hiking prices won't make a sod of difference to people intent on getting bladdered. They'll just go to the seemingly immune-to-legislatio
n supermarkets while the responsible majority have to once again fork out more cash on behalf of the irresponsible few. Bring on the revolution, ffs
PrincessM
says...
1:41pm Mon 16 Nov 09
jimbobbo
says...
1:46pm Mon 16 Nov 09
jimbobbo
says...
1:49pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Ken Hutchinson
says...
1:52pm Mon 16 Nov 09
There are far more instances of violent assaults and anti-social behaviour by non-students...it just seems fashionable to periodically vilify the student population who incidentally are often victims of assaults for just "being students". The common denominator is always alcohol - is the solution to price it out of everybody's reach in the City Centre.....I don't think so.
StEmmosfire
says...
2:15pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Mahoney212
says...
2:46pm Mon 16 Nov 09
I think its a brilliant idea, cheap booze for the people who can behave appropriately fter a few drinks!!
stmarysmush
says...
2:55pm Mon 16 Nov 09
StEmmosfire wrote:At last a sensible comment. If there drunk on supermarket drink before they go out.........then when they are surved in the pub/club refuse them on the grounds theve had enuff. Job Done.
Students arnt the only problem here and hiking up the cost of booze wont deter student because they buy there booze with credit cards. The winners here will be the clubs and bars. It is the responsibility of the bar tenders to stop selling to somebody when they think they have had enough and for the bar managers and companies to support them.
peasant
says...
3:17pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Rocker268
says...
3:19pm Mon 16 Nov 09
stmarysmush wrote:This article is ridiculous student bashing. Crime figures will show that it is not students that cause the major offences, such as assault and robbery. There may be an increase in noise disturbance but at the end of the day there are far bigger problems out there.
StEmmosfire wrote:At last a sensible comment. If there drunk on supermarket drink before they go out.........then when they are surved in the pub/club refuse them on the grounds theve had enuff. Job Done.
Students arnt the only problem here and hiking up the cost of booze wont deter student because they buy there booze with credit cards. The winners here will be the clubs and bars. It is the responsibility of the bar tenders to stop selling to somebody when they think they have had enough and for the bar managers and companies to support them.
Indirectly the two uni's help keep this city afloat, they both attract large businesses and research companies, who want to locate near to a strong postgrad source.
I agree this should be more widely used, I have seen people who cant stand or make a coherent sentence still be served a very strong drink.
But raising prices will not stop this being the case, supermarkets will continue to sell cheap drinks so people will increase the amount they 'pre-drink'
It is not students that are the biggest problem and especially not the majority, to tarnish us all with the same brush is both lazy journalism and prejudice!
sausage monkey
says...
3:23pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Sulaiman Al Fahim
says...
3:41pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Rocker268 wrote:I assume the story about the benefits students bring to the city (which is linked to twice in the above article) is also prejudiced, lazy and student bashing?
stmarysmush wrote:This article is ridiculous student bashing. Crime figures will show that it is not students that cause the major offences, such as assault and robbery. There may be an increase in noise disturbance but at the end of the day there are far bigger problems out there. Indirectly the two uni's help keep this city afloat, they both attract large businesses and research companies, who want to locate near to a strong postgrad source. I agree this should be more widely used, I have seen people who cant stand or make a coherent sentence still be served a very strong drink. But raising prices will not stop this being the case, supermarkets will continue to sell cheap drinks so people will increase the amount they 'pre-drink' It is not students that are the biggest problem and especially not the majority, to tarnish us all with the same brush is both lazy journalism and prejudice!StEmmosfire wrote: Students arnt the only problem here and hiking up the cost of booze wont deter student because they buy there booze with credit cards. The winners here will be the clubs and bars. It is the responsibility of the bar tenders to stop selling to somebody when they think they have had enough and for the bar managers and companies to support them.At last a sensible comment. If there drunk on supermarket drink before they go out.........then when they are surved in the pub/club refuse them on the grounds theve had enuff. Job Done.
Sulaiman Al Fahim
says...
3:54pm Mon 16 Nov 09
My View from the Hill
says...
4:03pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Rocker268 wrote:As noise nuisance is classed by the police as anti-social behaviour, which in turn is classed as a crime those who are causing anti-social by making loads of noise are in fact committing a crime, which will be added to the figures for the city, so are quite wrong to state that student are not causing crime, agreed not serious crime but crime all the same.
stmarysmush wrote:This article is ridiculous student bashing. Crime figures will show that it is not students that cause the major offences, such as assault and robbery. There may be an increase in noise disturbance but at the end of the day there are far bigger problems out there.
StEmmosfire wrote:At last a sensible comment. If there drunk on supermarket drink before they go out.........then when they are surved in the pub/club refuse them on the grounds theve had enuff. Job Done.
Students arnt the only problem here and hiking up the cost of booze wont deter student because they buy there booze with credit cards. The winners here will be the clubs and bars. It is the responsibility of the bar tenders to stop selling to somebody when they think they have had enough and for the bar managers and companies to support them.
Indirectly the two uni's help keep this city afloat, they both attract large businesses and research companies, who want to locate near to a strong postgrad source.
I agree this should be more widely used, I have seen people who cant stand or make a coherent sentence still be served a very strong drink.
But raising prices will not stop this being the case, supermarkets will continue to sell cheap drinks so people will increase the amount they 'pre-drink'
It is not students that are the biggest problem and especially not the majority, to tarnish us all with the same brush is both lazy journalism and prejudice!
You seem to have a flippant attitude towards noise disturbance, I suppose you see it as, oh well no-one gets hurts so it's ok to be a pain in the backside.
Can you name the large companies that have moved to Southampton solely because of the Uni's?
Captain Swing
says...
4:10pm Mon 16 Nov 09
And now even the Echo has noticed!
So, who sent them the press release?
Sulaiman Al Fahim
says...
4:19pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Captain Swing wrote:May I be so bold as to suggest you read all the stories, rather than just the headline on this individual article.
Gosh, here was me thinking that Southampton is a great place to live, but, apparently, ever since the opening of the Hartley Institute in 1860s, it has actually been Hell on Earth. And now even the Echo has noticed! So, who sent them the press release?
There is in fact a great deal of balance and explanation.
You will benefit from such actions far more, I can assure you.
djl197
says...
4:24pm Mon 16 Nov 09
monkeenuts
says...
4:35pm Mon 16 Nov 09
My View from the Hill
says...
4:46pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Rocker268 wrote:I suggest you read this story,
stmarysmush wrote:This article is ridiculous student bashing. Crime figures will show that it is not students that cause the major offences, such as assault and robbery. There may be an increase in noise disturbance but at the end of the day there are far bigger problems out there.
StEmmosfire wrote:At last a sensible comment. If there drunk on supermarket drink before they go out.........then when they are surved in the pub/club refuse them on the grounds theve had enuff. Job Done.
Students arnt the only problem here and hiking up the cost of booze wont deter student because they buy there booze with credit cards. The winners here will be the clubs and bars. It is the responsibility of the bar tenders to stop selling to somebody when they think they have had enough and for the bar managers and companies to support them.
Indirectly the two uni's help keep this city afloat, they both attract large businesses and research companies, who want to locate near to a strong postgrad source.
I agree this should be more widely used, I have seen people who cant stand or make a coherent sentence still be served a very strong drink.
But raising prices will not stop this being the case, supermarkets will continue to sell cheap drinks so people will increase the amount they 'pre-drink'
It is not students that are the biggest problem and especially not the majority, to tarnish us all with the same brush is both lazy journalism and prejudice!
Cheap booze is the problem behind rise of anti-social behaviour.
I think the students should be ashamed of themselves.
Donald2000
says...
4:57pm Mon 16 Nov 09
I dont recall having as much as a single drink when I was a student at the Institute and I certainly did not go on the raz and get arrested in the Bargate. But then I wanted to get my degree which I needed to practice Accounting, so it was necessary to stay in. A lot of the drunkeness is caused by students just wanting to spend their grants and loans with no thoughts of getting qualifications at the end.
Its no good the Echo talking to the professors and academics about toning down the students; most of them are too up themselves to care anyway. We need therefore a crop of police and magistrates who are going to enforce good practice in objecting to and refusing alcohol licenses in and around Southampton. That is, if they have the guts to do so.
Treble9
says...
5:12pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Polygonia
says...
5:36pm Mon 16 Nov 09
We are tired of the Unis bleating on about about how much students spend, the people who lived in the houses now occupied by students spent money in the city but did not cause all this damage and cost to the city Council.
It is us Council tax payers that should be listened to, not Uni spokespersons paid to mouth pathetic platitudes to cover up students bad behaviour.
Captain Swing
says...
5:49pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Sulaiman Al Fahim wrote:My dear sir, with the greatest respect, there is very little in the way of journalism in the Echo these days, and I speak as someone who has issued them with press releases.
Captain Swing wrote: Gosh, here was me thinking that Southampton is a great place to live, but, apparently, ever since the opening of the Hartley Institute in 1860s, it has actually been Hell on Earth. And now even the Echo has noticed! So, who sent them the press release?May I be so bold as to suggest you read all the stories, rather than just the headline on this individual article. There is in fact a great deal of balance and explanation. You will benefit from such actions far more, I can assure you.
I might also add, that there is very little in the way of journalism in this story - it's just a standard piece of "folk devil" sensationalism of the sort made famous by the first Lord Northcliff in the Daily Mail.
Stubs
says...
7:25pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Snowstorm
says...
7:42pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Ciaran
says...
7:48pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Captain Swing wrote:Well the assoicated articles are nothing like "devil folk" and actually go to great pains to be balanced.
Sulaiman Al Fahim wrote:My dear sir, with the greatest respect, there is very little in the way of journalism in the Echo these days, and I speak as someone who has issued them with press releases.
Captain Swing wrote: Gosh, here was me thinking that Southampton is a great place to live, but, apparently, ever since the opening of the Hartley Institute in 1860s, it has actually been Hell on Earth. And now even the Echo has noticed! So, who sent them the press release?May I be so bold as to suggest you read all the stories, rather than just the headline on this individual article. There is in fact a great deal of balance and explanation. You will benefit from such actions far more, I can assure you.
I might also add, that there is very little in the way of journalism in this story - it's just a standard piece of "folk devil" sensationalism of the sort made famous by the first Lord Northcliff in the Daily Mail.
What confuses me is that on the one hand you sneer at the Echo as you summise this must have come from a press release - yet you then claim to send them press releases.
So, if that is the case, you are part of the reason you hate the Echo so much.
Iw61
says...
7:57pm Mon 16 Nov 09
By the way,there is some very good special offers on beer at Tescos, nobody is going to complain about!! Mind you it is easier to have a go at students than the cause of the problems, isnt it?
Donald2000
says...
8:12pm Mon 16 Nov 09
Snowstorm wrote:I lived in Portswood Road in 1996; I had my front door smashed in by marauding drunks and wheelie bins in the middle of the road at 2am in the morning was a regular occurence. I hope thats clear enough for anyone.
I'd be interested in seeing a comparison between the problems caused by each of the two universities... Having lived in Portswood I haven't encountered such problems from University of Southampton students and I suspect we need to be clearer when we discuss the problems caused by all students in Southampton...
Sarahtheoneandonly
says...
9:33pm Mon 16 Nov 09
The only trouble we have ever seen has been caused by people who are obviously NOT students.
Cheep booze deals are available to all and other people take advantage of them too. It is easy for people who do intend to cause a nuisance to do this because they know that the students will get the blame.
Quite frankly I am sick of reading stories on an almost weekly basis that are essentially student bashing! Seriously I would consider the Echo to be more journalistic in their approach to these stories.
The reality in a nutshell is that students bring revenue to Southampton, Winchester, etc. and this creates jobs for these places that would otherwise be lacking. Many students choose to stay in their uni town after graduation and bring much needed skills to these places.
Should we therefore deny students a good night out every now and again because unscrupulous people like to take advantage of the prejudices against innocent students? I think not!
damien thorn
says...
10:31pm Mon 16 Nov 09
bravebeth
says...
6:33am Tue 17 Nov 09
cgutteridge
says...
7:01am Tue 17 Nov 09
Some *do* service in their local community.
I worked until 9pm last friday and when I left the Uni. the lab was still full of students working on their degree work.
The standards for entry of students in my school ranges from A-Levels of ABB to AAA, one of which must be mathematics. We really do get so many applicants per place that we have to set our standards that high!
A truely weird company of greatlocal benefit started by one our graduates: http://whomadeyourpa
nts.co.uk/ who employ local marginalised women to make ethically sourced underware.
Captain Swing
says...
8:03am Tue 17 Nov 09
Ciaran wrote:My point is that this article is a lazy piece of playing to people’s prejudices (and the “balance” is trite): oh how much better life would be if we didn’t have to endure students, immigrants, chavs, the unemployed, arty types who resist flogging off the city’s art treasures, Pompey fans, Rupert Lowe, intellectuals… it’s a game we can all play and I would hazard that the editorial team at Newspaper House meet three or four times a week to discuss their list of targets and potential targets – you, I, or anyone posting on this thread could be next.
Captain Swing wrote:Well the assoicated articles are nothing like "devil folk" and actually go to great pains to be balanced. What confuses me is that on the one hand you sneer at the Echo as you summise this must have come from a press release - yet you then claim to send them press releases. So, if that is the case, you are part of the reason you hate the Echo so much.Sulaiman Al Fahim wrote:My dear sir, with the greatest respect, there is very little in the way of journalism in the Echo these days, and I speak as someone who has issued them with press releases. I might also add, that there is very little in the way of journalism in this story - it's just a standard piece of "folk devil" sensationalism of the sort made famous by the first Lord Northcliff in the Daily Mail.Captain Swing wrote: Gosh, here was me thinking that Southampton is a great place to live, but, apparently, ever since the opening of the Hartley Institute in 1860s, it has actually been Hell on Earth. And now even the Echo has noticed! So, who sent them the press release?May I be so bold as to suggest you read all the stories, rather than just the headline on this individual article. There is in fact a great deal of balance and explanation. You will benefit from such actions far more, I can assure you.
As for the comment about issuing press releases, my experience they invariably get published in the Echo verbatim with a reporter’s by-line attached. If it wasn’t for press releases the Echo’s content would be mostly adverts and announcements. And, frankly, the adverts and announcements are the only reason for buying it.
The Echo: the local paper that asks, in a bored tone, “And who are you?” then walks off before you can give an answer.
djl197
says...
8:13am Tue 17 Nov 09
The money they are spending is paid back with interest and it is up to them how much they borrow.
As the graduates are far more likely to earn more money in later life (average higher salaries) they will also pay far more tax.
Being higher income earners means that their children will probably end up with better grades (based on government statistics) - they will be more likely to go to university and earn higher salaries and pay more tax yet again.
So the result of all these students in the short term is huge cash flow in Southampton. In the long term it is much more tax revenue so indirectly they are paying the state a huge amount of money on top of their debt repayments.
Polygonia
says...
10:06am Tue 17 Nov 09
We do know where the students live and we can recognise them in the dark as they return home after clubbing.
Although violence near clubs can be anybody, the noise and damage in the side streets is mainly students in Polygon, Portswood and Bevois Valley.
djl197
says...
11:59am Tue 17 Nov 09
concernedofstdenys
says...
12:11pm Tue 17 Nov 09
concernedofstdenys
says...
12:11pm Tue 17 Nov 09
Donald2000
says...
6:58pm Tue 17 Nov 09
damien thorn wrote:Wrong again. I got my degree from Solent University and I dont come from a chav background; neither do I go out drinking and chewing up the streets. You need to do more research before sounding off.
one is a traditional university and the other is a jumped up college of higher education with lower bracket students more prone to underclass chav type behaviour. university ala grange hill.
oooshiny
says...
6:21am Wed 18 Nov 09
oooshiny
says...
6:55am Wed 18 Nov 09
Donald2000
says...
8:29am Wed 18 Nov 09
oooshiny wrote:You are living in a dream world. What you are saying is that you would not like to think that people would tip bins out in the middle of the road, or fight on the way home, or cause general mayhem in neighbourhoods. That means that you would deny my experience; thats a very dangerous thing to do. You dont have the rights to deny other people's experiences. If you have not seen how drunken students behave, then I suggest you open your eyes and ears, instead of wearing blinkers and ear muffs the whole time.
I don't think drink prices will change the way students act! Its unfair to automatically judge all students as causing a problem to the city. Most students I know work hard so one day they can have a well paid job instead of being sat doing nothing on benefits and they work aswell as going to uni.Yes you do get some students that have a bit too much...but don't we all sometimes? I don't agree with the fact though that they push over bins,nick road signs etc..they're not five no more!Why should the minority ruin it for the majority of students who go out 1-2 times a week to relax after uni work and working all week?
oooshiny
says...
4:11am Thu 19 Nov 09
Steve Hudson
says...
4:06pm Thu 19 Nov 09
Donald2000
says...
7:42am Fri 20 Nov 09
Steve Hudson wrote:Fights in clubs are the least of the problems; have you ever heard of bouncers? Yes, thats why no fights. Its when they get out on the streets afterwards, turning people's wheelie bins over and leaving them in the middle of main roads. These are the sorts of students who need to be expelled. We need a break from their nasty little drunken ways and their gorilla like behaviour.
We have a student night at Oceana every Wednesday - in 6/7 weeks we have averaged over 2,000 students to each session and have had no fights at all.
ILoveCider
says...
1:36pm Sun 22 Nov 09
stmarysmush says...
12:01pm Mon 16 Nov 09