Neil Hamilton, AM for Mid & West Wales and Leader of UKIP Wales, is urging people to take care when out drinking this Christmas.
Mr Hamilton, is supporting Dyfed-Powys Police who have launched a campaign against alcohol related violence.
He said:
“At this time of year, in particular, many people are out and about enjoying the Christmas spirit and I support any initiatives which will reduce alcohol related violence and crime.
“Figures released by Dyfed-Powys Police show that Christmas drinking led to 130 serious assaults last year which is clearly unacceptable.
“I fully support the force’s ‘Just Walk Away’ campaign and urge everyone to think before they act when enjoying a night out.
“The consequences of having too much to drink can be catastrophic, not just for the victims but for the families and the offenders themselves. Not forgetting also, that such behaviour stretches police resources from genuine crime. I hope everyone will heed Police advice – walk away from confrontational situations and stay safe this Christmas.”
Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Phil Rowe said violence against the person has been on the rise year-on-year since 2015, and figures show that a large proportion of assaults are alcohol-related.
Each year since 2015, Dyfed-Powys Police has recorded an average of 87 alcohol-related serious assaults over the three-week peak Christmas and New Year season.
This figure rises to 120 when the timeframe is widened to include the whole month of December.
T/DCI Rowe said violent assaults affected people’s lives and the consequence of assaulting someone was life changing.
He said: “There are victims who remain in hospital months after being assaulted, and others who every day have to live with ongoing effects of the injuries they sustained.
“Then there are their partners, parents, children and friends, who suffer the burden of worry while they recover – or worse, who might now be preparing for another Christmas without their loved one.”
As part of the force’s Christmas campaign he is urging people to think before they act on a night out.
“Could you live with going to prison, spending Christmas in custody, and the emotional weight of knowing your actions seriously injured or even killed someone?” He said.
“If you get into a confrontational situation on a night out, please be the bigger person and just walk away.”
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