Police want more shops to take super-strength alcohol off the shelves in a bid to cut disorder.
Ten shops in Hull have agreed to stop selling lager and cider with an alcohol volume of more than 6.5 per cent as part of the Reducing the Strength scheme.
PC Keith Lamplough said: "I would like to have a lot more, but we have to try to convince people to sign up to it.
"It is the smaller, independent shops that tend to be the ones we need to target. We have had some agreeing to stop selling these drinks in single tins, which is a step in the right direction, but we want to go further.
"It is still a work in progress.
"We can't force people to do it, but in other areas that have done it, profits have been seen to go up.
"If a shop is selling to street drinkers, it does deter other customers. When they get rid of that, people start coming back and using that shop."
If shop owners agree to the scheme, it becomes a condition of their licence not to sell the alcohol.
A similar scheme in Ipswich saw street crime fall by 50 per cent.
PC Lamplough said: "It is a case of trying to impress all of those reasons on store operators, who are obviously in it for business.
"Shops that agree to the scheme will get a plaque that shows they are a responsible retailer that supports reducing antisocial behaviour and responsible drinking."
Reducing the Strength also encourages street drinkers and beggars to sign up for help to tackle their problems in an attempt to reduce antisocial behaviour across the city.
If they refuse to agree to help, or continue causing problems, they could face being given antisocial behaviour orders (Asbos).
The scheme has been running in the city centre since April. Before that, it was piloted in the Wyke police area of west Hull, which includes the Avenues and Bricknell Avenue area.
PC Lamplough said: "Street drinkers that sit around near shops drinking the cheap, super-strength beers are often swearing, fighting and urinating in the street.
"That puts people off from going into those areas.
"There is also an issue with them begging, which is intimidating for people, who don't want to be pestered when they go to a cash machine.
"They then feel obliged to give them money. which will almost certainly go on drugs or alcohol and won't help them tackle their issues at all.
"We have to target their behaviour as well as encouraging the shops to sign up.
"We hope by addressing the issues people have and getting shops to sign up, we will make the city a better place to live, work and visit."
Police and crime commissioner Matthew Grove said: "We are very, very keen to see this in Hull, which is where it is needed."We have significant issues with homeless shelters in Hull with people drinking around them, begging and generally misbehaving, which drives our respectable residents away.
"I believe this is something we need, especially as Hull moves towards being the City of Culture.
"We don't want behaviour like this to damage our reputation."
• Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
• Crime news for Hull and East Yorkshire
![]()