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MINIMUM pricing will lead to reduction in alcohol-fuelled crime in Ireland and save lives, according to a leading research expert in the field has asserted. Professor Tim Stockwell told the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality this Tuesday that minimum pricing has led to a reduction in crime and deaths due to alcohol in Canada and would have similarly positive results if introduced in Ireland. Alcohol Action Ireland, the national charity for alcohol-related issues, and Professor Stockwell, Director at the Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia, addressed the Committee on alcohol-related crime and the potential of minimum pricing to reduce it. The Committee heard that alcohol plays a key role in crime in Ireland and the type and severity of alcohol-related offences are wide-ranging, from public order offences to violent assault and manslaughter, while alcohol-fuelled crime also puts a huge strain on Garda resources and costs the State an estimated €1.2 billion annually. Professor Stockwell presented his latest …
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