UNDERAGE AND OUT OF THEIR MINDS ON BOOZE AND DRUGS

A SHOCKING 45 per cent of 14-year-olds from Oldham, questioned in a police
survey, said they drink alcohol at least once a week.

Results also highlighted that a higher percentage of the local teenagers
asked had used solvents, ecstasy, speed, magic mushrooms, crack cocaine,
heroin and tranquillisers, when compared with other youngsters questioned
in Greater Manchester.

The results of the questionnaire, which was carried out among 255 Year 10
teenagers in schools across the borough, also revealed that 25 per cent of
those who had tried alcohol more than once also drank it at home.

The survey, carried out by members of the Police Authority, centred on high
schools around the town that have a mixture of pupils from different
cultures, religions and races.

Topics covered other aspects of crime including crimes against young
people, or crimes they had committed themselves.

Questions centring on underage drinking revealed that alcopops were the
most popular sort of booze drunk by the youths, with 82 per cent drinking
such brands as WKD, while 45 per cent drank spirits, 38 per cent lager and
28 per cent wine or extra strength lager.

However, only 11 per cent of youngsters questioned had had their alcohol
confiscated from them by police officers in the last 12 months.

Drugs and other substances had been taken less frequently among those
teenagers surveyed.

However, 14 percent had used cannabis in the last week, and 3 per cent
ecstasy and 4 per cent solvents such as glue or aerosols.

Harder drugs such as heroin had not been tried as frequently but there were
still 2 per cent who had experimented with it.

The survey has been described as a "snapshot of the experiences of young
people within the Oldham local authority area."

Police Authority youth consultative worker Maxine Moar said: "It was
carried out together with a number of other agencies involved in issues of
crime and disorder. "

"The purpose was to see patterns and trends in that particular age group."