Town launches school for drunks

GLASGOW, Scotland, July 10 (UPI) -- Police in the Scottish council area of Fife launched a pilot program Friday aimed at stemming the number of alcohol-related crimes, officials say.

Instead of ticketing drunk and disorderly offenders, authorities will attempt to get them into an alcohol education program, The Glasgow Herald reports.

"This is not about the hardened criminal or serial offender, it is about tackling low-level offending which has a significant impact on the community," says Andrew Barker, assistant chief constable of Fife.

Barker says the Fife project is the first of its kind in Scotland and offers his constabulary the opportunity to be involved in a program that seeks to address the root cause of alcohol abuse.

Under the program, offenders will still be given ticketed but they can avoid paying a fine by attending a three-hour class that includes information about alcohol-related health problems like cirrhosis of the liver and certain cancers.

Last year, Fife handed out almost 2,000 tickets for alcohol-related offenses.