MORE than 3000 people arrested in a year at one Glasgow police station were under the influence of booze or drugs.

MORE than 3000 people arrested in a year at one Glasgow police station were under the influence of booze or drugs.

And two-thirds of those lifted for violent attacks were drunk.

The shock figures are revealed in the Scottish Government's consultation paper on a new strategy to reduce the harm caused by alcohol.

A study of 5000 arrests over one year at a city police station found more than three out of every five offenders were affected by drink or drugs.

Figures from the station, which has not been named but is described as typical, showed that two-thirds of people lifted from the streets for violent attacks were drunk. Half the prisoners in Scots jails say they were drunk at the time they carried out a range of offences, and victims of assaults put the figure higher.

Scots Government figures suggest 67% of victims of violence believe their attacker was under the influence of alcohol at the time.

The paper says: "Victims' perceptions appear well-founded."

And Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill added: "Alcohol is part of Scottish culture. We value the contribution of the industry to our economy and national life, but we've got our drinking out of kilter.

"It's not the drink, it's how we're drinking it."

The proposed alcohol strategy includes a range of measures, such as the imposition of a minimum price per unit of alcohol, and raising the age at which customers can buy carry-out booze to 21.

But the Scottish Grocers' Federation branded plans "unfair and absurd". Chief executive John Drummond said: "Minimum pricing will unfairly penalise the responsible drinking majority."