Occasional Paper 102 presents findings from an evaluation of the second phase Alcohol Arrest Referral pilots which operated between 2008 and 2010 in eight police forces. Brief interventions to tackle alcohol-related offending were offered to adults, arrested and deemed to be under the influence of alcohol.

Overall, the intervention appeared to be ineffective for this client group in terms of reducing re-arrest but there was some limited evidence of reduced alcohol consumption among the intervention group. A larger proportion of dependent drinkers were identified by schemes than anticipated and individuals were not found to be prolific offenders. Average costs per intervention varied from £62 to £826. Only one scheme appeared to demonstrate a sufficient reduction in arrest to break even.