43 in custody after night of booze fuelled chaos across Devon and Cornwall

A total of 43 people were in police custody on Saturday morning after a night of alcohol related disorder across Devon and Cornwall. The toll of booze fuelled chaos on the emergency services was highlighted during a police tweetathon on Friday night. Devon and Cornwall Police revealed via social media that officers dealt with a total of 374 incidents between 8pm on Friday and 3am on Saturday. These included six drunk men fighting near Exeter St David's Station.

As we draw to a close for the evening, 43 people in custody and 374 incidents between 8pm and 3am. #alcoholharm busier than ever.

— DevonCornwall Police (@DC_Police) September 20, 2014

A private party in Exeter also reportedly got out of control. Elsewhere, a man was arrested in Axminster on suspicion of drink driving with a child in the car. In Exmouth, police and an ambulance crew were called to reports of a drunk man self harming. The #alcoholharm tweetathon saw Devon and Cornwall Police tweeting details of alcohol-related incidents across the region that were reported on Friday night. Tweets were posted live, as incidents were reported, by staff in the call centre at police headquarters at Middlemoor in Exeter.

Attending six drunk men reported fighting in St David's, Exeter, near railway station #alcoholharm

— DevonCornwall Police (@DC_Police) September 19, 2014

The aim of the tweetathon was to help the public understand the variety and quantity of calls received and the resources needed to deal with alcohol-related incidents. Tweets signposting relevant agencies for help and advice around subjects such as domestic abuse were also posted. It is hoped the exercise will also highlight problems around excessive alcohol consumption and encourage drinkers to take responsibility for themselves and help create a safer drinking culture in our region. It is estimated that around 40 per cent of all calls taken by police call handlers during the evening and night-time economy hours are to report alcohol-related incidents. Before the initiative began, Assistant Chief Constable, Paul Netherton, said: "I think people will be interested to see how things progress as alcohol consumption starts to take its toll throughout the evening and be surprised by the number and variety of calls we receive. This will be an opportunity for the public to see our Force dealing with incidents and the demands placed on both officers and call centre staff. It is also an opportunity to show how we use social media to better inform the public about what we do to keep the residents of Devon and Cornwall safe." Superintendent Julie Whitmarsh, member of the ACPO Licensing & Reducing Alcohol Related Harm Group, added: "This is an excellent opportunity for Devon and Cornwall Police to be part of a national campaign around alcohol and will be of great interest to the public as they will be able to follow events through the course of the evening via the Force Twitter account." Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg said: "Tackling alcohol-related crime is one of my top priorities and I am delighted to support this tweetathon. I feel it will be a great opportunity for the Force to raise awareness of the far reaching consequences of excessive alcohol consumption and should provide useful information about our resourcing in this important area."