A review of the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on levels of violence in England and Wales: A public health perspective

Abstract

Alcohol has long been associated with violence in nightlife environments across England and Wales. In November 2005, the Licensing Act 2003 provided local authorities with increased controls and flexibility to manage licensed venues. This article explores, from a public health perspective, the relationships between such changes and nightlife violence. Combined, the evaluations reviewed point to a number of potential consequences such as shifts towards consumption of alcohol and violence later at night. However, the impacts vary between local areas. The article concludes that more work is needed to provide robust, national data sets that collate intelligence from a range of information sources. These resources, along with a better understanding of how legislation is being implemented, are necessary to examine and interpret how legislative changes affect levels of night-time violence. Such a public health approach would provide a valuable insight into how successful initiatives can be developed to reduce nightlife violence.