Binge-Drinking Brits Distracted by Circus Tricks

By EMILY WITHER, ABC News London This weekend is likely to be one of the busiest of the year in Binge-Drinking Britain as thousands hit the pubs after people finish work for the holidays.

A Christmas headache looms for the police forces up and down the country as they brace for late-night trouble. They are guaranteed to meet marauding groups of people flooding into town and city centers boozed up after their Christmas parties.

But one Northern city in Britain isn’t taking any chances this year.

Police in the Staffordshire town of Newcastle-under-Lyme are adopting a new tactic to crack down on binge-drinking violence: circus entertainment. They hope the sight of fire-eating performers, stilt walkers, balloon modelers and jugglers will distract drunken revelers from turning on each other.

Sgt. Mark Speedman, from the Newcastle Neighborhood Policing Unit, told ABCNews.com that police hope this initiative will be a success. "Street entertainers will help keep visitors to the town center occupied as they move from one venue to the next, and as they make their way home. They will occupy people’s attention, which will hopefully result in less confrontation and less violence."

Councillor Phil Maskery from the Newcastle Borough Council and chairman of Newcastle Crime and Disorder Partnership added that he is determined to rid the town center of violence caused by excess alcohol. "The links between alcohol and violence are well established. This latest initiative is an innovative and diversionary tactic to continue to make Newcastle a safe place to visit."

It seems these types of diversionary tactics may be catching on in other cities in Britain. Youths in Derbyshire will be encouraged to watch a movie rather than drink when police start handing out free cinema tickets this weekend.

Past tactics include Manchester police giving out free lollipops to stop people from shouting and Devon police provided women in high heels flip-flops to prevent any drunken trips or falls.

The entertainers will be making their debut performance Friday night, but the question remains whether this will be a sobering sight for revelers or a complete waste of British taxpayers’ money.  Read more blogs by Emily Wither Read more blogs by ABC News staff