He told delegates at the Turning the Corner on Alcohol? conference at Perth Concert Hall that court cases and custodies cost the criminal justice system £276 million a year, part of a “staggering” £1.1 billion hit to the Scottish economy from alcohol misuse.

He said, “Alcohol is a factor in half of all murders, and is often combined with controlled drugs to deadly effect.

“We know around 70% of domestic crimes in Tayside are alcohol-related, insofar as the victim, offender or both are under the influence.

“Of minor assaults, 23% of offenders and or victims were under the influence of alcohol. Breach of the peace, which covers a wide range of anti-social behaviours, has alcohol as a factor in 40% of offences.

“We know alcohol lessens inhibitions. People do things they would never normally consider doing because somehow feelings of personal responsibility seem to be diminished when you’re part of a group.

“Add alcohol to this mix and people can behave out of character in a very anti-social way. They commit vandalism, they fall out with their neighbours, they play music so loudly that their neighbours can’t sleep. All degrading the otherwise good quality of life we have here in Scotland.”

The sheer volume and low cost of alcohol could be one reason for increasing rowdy behaviour, with booze over 50% cheaper than 25 years ago and a near 25% increase in the number of licenses granted in that time.

There is also emerging evidence of a direct correlation between the low cost of alcohol and high levels of violent crime.

ACC MacLeod also confirmed under-age drinking is on the rise, with current trends “truly shocking”, and addressing the issue has become a priority for Tayside Police.

He said early intervention by cutting off the alcohol supply to youngsters at it’s source — shops selling it illegally — will be maintained, as will education of young drinkers.

Praising the multi-agency approach which conferences such as today’s helps foster, ACC McLeod said, “This isn’t a problem the police can deal with on their own. We need to work with the other agencies and voluntary organisations to ensure a joined-up approach to alcohol-related crime and disorder.

“We need the support of the communities of Tayside to have a chance of making a real impact on alcohol-related crime. We rely on the public to be our eyes and ears, to tell us what is happening in their area.

“Providing public reassurance is key to our policing style. Most types of crime are falling in real terms, but that is not always the perception of the public.

“Fear of alcohol-related crime means town centres are often not places you would choose to go to on a Friday or Saturday night. We think that should change.”

Tayside should also be open to new ideas, such as taxi queue marshalling and triage buses which have been successfully trialled elsewhere.

Other key speakers at the event included Professor Tony Wells, Chief Executive of NHS Tayside, Dr Harry Burns the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland and Stephen Hunter, the Chief Fire Officer of Tayside Fire and Rescue.

Mr Hunter focused his speech on his service’s ongoing Alcohol — Fuel For Fire campaign, highlighting the danger of fire to people under the influence of alcohol.