DVD aims to shock youngsters about the dangers of alcohol

Cumbria Police has launched a shocking new DVD to tackle alcohol-related crime and excessive alcohol consumption among youngsters in the Barrow area.
The DVD, launched last week, highlights the dangerous situations young people can find themselves in if they drink too much alcohol.
The film is a joint venture between Cumbria Police and Barrow and South Lakeland crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs), and follows five young people on a night out in Barrow to show how differently a ‘fun night out’ can end when too much alcohol is involved.
Professor Mark Bellis, from Liverpool John Moores University, launched the DVD, giving a talk about the myths around alcohol and its effects, before focusing on local issues and what Barrow CDRP is doing in response to alcohol-related harm and the associated crime and disorder.
The film combines comedy and shocking reality, designed to grab the attention of youngsters. It contains scenes of a girl being attacked and a boy slumped in an alley.
By introducing the DVD to local schools and by posting the video on social networking sites, Cumbria Police hopes to challenge the notion that it is socially acceptable for young people to drink excessively.
Inspector Geoff Steele of Barrow police said: “We launched ongoing Operation Siskin last year to challenge the inappropriate sale and use of alcohol, which can have such a detrimental effect on our neighbourhoods.
“The operation has been a great success so far, largely thanks to the support we’ve received from local pubs, clubs and off-licences. Standards around the sale of alcohol are very high in Barrow and by working together we can improve this even more.
“This DVD marks our first steps in starting a local debate with young people about the pressures they face that can lead them to use alcohol inappropriately and cause harm to themselves and the community.
“By listening to the experiences of other young people, we hope that local youngsters will set, and police, their own behaviour – and help their friends make better choices so that a real improvement in our local culture can be made.”
Barrow CDRP coordinator, Rebecca Rawlings, said: “This DVD is a fine example of the positive work we are able to achieve for the young people of Barrow by coming together as a partnership and more importantly, a community.
“This local production carries a very important message and we relied wholeheartedly on the enthusiasm of local people and businesses to provide the facilities and energy we needed to make the film a success. The film will be shown throughout schools in South Cumbria and we hope that it will make young people stop and think about their lifestyles, recognise the negative effects that binge drinking can have and make positive choices about their future.”
The film was produced by Workshop Productions in Lancaster after one of its team members, who lives in Barrow, recognised the need to help tackle underage and irresponsible drinking in her home town.