By David Clegg

POLICE IN Dundee are to submit a child concern report to social workers after a 13-year-old boy was taken to Ninewells Hospital over the weekend suffering from alcohol poisoning.

The news emerged on the same weekend that a national survey highlighted general ignorance of the dangers of alcohol in Scotland.

Officers involved in Operation Dry Up in Dundee found the boy being “violently sick” on Saturday night after receiving a report of a group of teenagers boozing in the Whitfield area of the city.

Police told The Courier that no parent or guardian of the child was immediately contactable and officers were forced to take him to hospital.

A mobile phone number for the 13-year-old’s mother was eventually obtained and she was informed of her son’s whereabouts.

Police will now submit a report to social workers expressing concern at the lack of supervision that was being provided to the child.

A police spokesperson said, “Just before nine o’clock we received a report of a group of around seven youths that seemed to be under the influence of alcohol.

“Officers involved in Operation Dry Up responded to the call almost immediately and on arrival they found one 13-year-old boy who was significantly under the influence of alcohol. He was very drunk indeed.

“They tried to take him home but got no response from him whatsoever. Attempts to trace his parents were unsuccessful and because he was being violently sick they took him to Ninewells Hospital.

“His mother was eventually contacted and arranged to come to the hospital.

“There will be a child concern report issued in this case as we have concerns that there was nobody looking after this child.”

It is understood the boy was released from hospital later on Saturday night after being checked over by doctors.

Tayside Police launched Operation Dry Up at the start of the year with funding from the Tayside Partnership. It aims to wipe out underage drinking and its associated antisocial behaviour.

The force has successfully confiscated alcohol from underage drinkers using intelligence-led activity and carried out test purchasing at off- licences.

More than 900 young people had their names taken by police involved in the crackdown up to the end of last month.

Meanwhile, the survey out yesterday revealed that many Scots remain ignorant of how much it is safe to drink or how much alcohol their beverages contain.

A majority of those quizzed thought alcohol was the drug causing most harm north of the border, and was thought to be more damaging than heroin or tobacco.

But less than half could identify the recommended daily intake for men and women, despite a string of high-profile anti-alcohol campaigns.

Almost half believed Scotland’s record of heavy drinking was a source of shame—but two thirds also said it was “a major part of the Scottish way of life.”

The findings of the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey come as the SNP administration ramps up its efforts to crack down on the country’s endemic booze culture.

Heavy drinking results in 40,000 hospital admissions a year and 70% of assaults are alcohol related, according to ministers.

It also costs the country £2.25 billion a year, they said.

There was clear recognition of the harm caused by alcohol in the interviews done for the report, called Something To Be Ashamed Of Or Part Of Our Way Of Life? Attitudes Towards Alcohol In Scotland.

A total of 89% of women and 80% of men recognised that hazardous drinking is “very” or “fairly likely” to damage health in the long term.

But there was still widespread ignorance among those quizzed about how much it was safe to drink.

Only 34% correctly identified that men are advised to drink no more than three to four units a day.

Of those questioned only 41% knew that the recommended daily limit for women was two to three units.

Many were ignorant of how much alcohol their drinks contained.

About half knew the number of units in a pint of beer or a single measure of spirits, but only 15% knew there were eight to 10 in a bottle of wine.

The country’s contradictory attitude to alcohol was also highlighted.

A total of 48% thought the amount Scots drank was something “of which everyone should be ashamed.”

But around two thirds still believed drinking was “a major part of the Scottish way of life” and 51% of respondents said alcohol was the drug that causes most problems north of the border.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison warned, “The survey results appear to show that many people still don’t know how many units of alcohol their pint of beer or glass of wine contains—meaning they could well be drinking above recommended limits.”

The survey, carried out by the Scottish Centre for Social Research, saw 1058 people across Scotland interviewed.

The research comes several weeks after the Scottish Government unveiled controversial plans to cut down on alcohol abuse, including raising the purchase age in off-sales to 21 and minimum prices to tackle cheap booze.

Several communities have already piloted the measures proposed by the government by banning alcohol sales to under-21s.

In Cupar and the neighbouring village of Springfield anti-social behaviour plunged almost 60% after a voluntary restriction on Friday and Saturday nights.