Madam, - The call from a group of independent TDs for more community policing to stop intimidating gangs drinking in public areas reflects a widespread concern across the country (The Irish Times, July 28th).
It is acknowledged that off-licences are the major source of the alcohol that causes public nuisance. Numerous efforts to get this sector of the drinks industry to address this matter have met with the usual "not our problem" response. If some method were put in place to enable gardaí to trace the shops from which such alcohol is bought we would be on the road to dealing effectively with this serious problem. - Yours, etc,
Dr JOSEPH BARRY, Senior Lecturer in Public Health, Trinity College Dublin.