During the selection process, Wollaston campaigned on the problems of alcohol-related crime, citing also the 8,000 annual deaths from alcohol.

People who have been convicted of a felony or any alcohol-related crime may not obtain a license to sell packaged alcohol.

Vigorous enforcement of liquor license laws has reduced the number of alcohol-related crimes.

The scheme also has extra officers patrolling during the Christmas period to try and reduce alcohol-related crime.

Most arrests are for alcohol-related crimes, such as drunk driving and underage drinking.

The 240 cases involved a roughly equal number of drug and alcohol offenses, although alcohol-related crimes have increased each year since 2004.

THE recession has cut dramatically the number of alcohol-related crimes.

One recent estimate of the total cost of alcohol-related crime put the figure at $1.7 billion.

While crime overall has declined, alcohol-related crime is increasing: in 1999, half of the 2.4 million violent crimes reported were linked to alcohol misuse.

These cases covered murder, manslaughter, rape, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, theft, drug conspiracies and alcohol-related crimes.