IT has often been pointed out that alcohol must be classified among the dangerous drugs that, if misused, threaten community safety and stability.

It has also been pointed out on many occasions that Jersey is particularly reliant on alcohol as a social lubricant and particularly badly affected by the adverse effects of excessive drinking.

At all levels of society drink can be responsible for problems that range from potentially fatal liver disease to marital breakup and from violence to late-night rowdiness on the streets. It is, however, among the young — and sometimes the very young — that the consumption of alcohol does particularly severe damage in terms of illegal behaviour, the establishment of long-term habits and health problems that may manifest themselves many years in the future.

With all this in mind, Home Affairs Minister Wendy Kinnard has proposed a measure which would be highly unpopular among certain members of the community but would undoubtedly help to limit antisocial drinking. In short, Senator Kinnard says that the lower age limit for buying alcohol from off-licences should be raised from 18 to 21.

The group that this would hit would, quite obviously, be those between 18 and 21, and their probable opposition to the Senator’s idea is predictable. Nevertheless, this is case in which the present rights of a minority should most definitely be set aside for the greater good of Islanders in general. Public disorder on our streets may not be on a scale that rivals the worst affected parts of the UK, but it is nevertheless an unappealing and regrettable feature of Island life that we should attempt to stamp out.

It would be foolish to imagine that raising the off-licence age limit would put an end to vulnerable young people’s access to alcohol, but it would certainly have an impact. For example, it would help stamp out the practice of people just old enough to drink buying supplies for their younger friends below the legal drinking age.

Even if tougher off-licence laws are introduced, the police will still be a line of defence against illegal drinking and public order offences. In spite of this, the ounce of prevention recommended by Senator Kinnard could well be worth many pounds of curative action by the States force and their honorary colleagues.