Alcohol crime is identified through the use of a ‘flag’ on the crime recording system. Its aim is to provide the number of crimes directly attributable to alcohol to assist in assessing the impact of alcohol on crime and policing. The alcohol flag should be applied where it is perceived by the victim or any other person that the effects of alcohol consumption on the offender or victim was an aggravating factor. A baseline for alcohol crime was established in 2012/13.