For many years now I have been convinced that alcohol is a bigger threat to society than drugs.

As a rookie police officer, I remember a sergeant with 25 years experience telling me that "drink is the root of all evil". That may be a bit of an exaggeration but, on reflection, he certainly had a point.

To me "evil" is the destruction or attack upon something without empathy, with no concern for the pain or anguish caused. That is the biggest problem with alcohol. It has a Jekyll and Hyde capacity to turn otherwise normal people evil.

Anyone who thinks that binge drinking is something new should think again. In the 18th century Daniel Defoe wrote: "People get so drunk on a Sunday that they cannot work for a day or two following."

By 1750, 9,000 children a year were dying as a result of themselves or their mothers drinking alcohol.

And 100 years later it was recorded that in London: "The men patronised a gin palace when in funds and lounged against walls or posts when the money was spent. In the background, a pair of women who had passed the morning drinking gin and bitters were brawling and screaming abuse."

Historians tell us that in those days the gin palaces were the preserve of the working class who drank to escape the squalor and degradation. Nowadays the gin palaces have spread from the capital to every town and city in Britain and there are no class barriers to those turned by drink into violent hooligans.

When police intervene, they spit and attack the officers, threatening to kill them, their wives and families and to burn down their homes.

Come the morning they often turn out to have a loving family and respectable job. They are extremely apologetic and remorseful. But, of course, it's too late then.

The fact that alcohol has been a serious problem for centuries should not deter us from being determined to tackle that problem. That's why I applaud the firm stance taken by the new Chief Constable of Northumbria, Michael Craic.

Not only did he lay down the law when taking office, but he followed this up by effective action to show he means what he says.

CCTV images can be a powerful tool. I suspect many who saw images of the drunken yobs brawling on Tyneside's streets and the firm response of the police will now think twice before they engage in such action.

In Middlesbrough we recently held a conference aimed at tackling underage drinking. Our problems are no greater than elsewhere but we are determined to do something about it.

Similar CCTV footage was shown and, perhaps not surprisingly, at first there were some smiles on the faces of the teenagers present. It was as if they were watching an action movie.

However, they weren't laughing at the end. They were sickened by the mindless violence and the shots of people prostrate on the pavement being kicked in the head.

The message got through that this was unacceptable, that it was down to drink and that it could have resulted in very serious repercussions for both the victim and aggressor.

Education is vital if we are to tackle the alcohol problems that have plagued our society for centuries. But this must be coupled with firm policing of the streets.

Published: 10/06/2005