It is too soon to draw firm conclusions about the impact of changes to drinking laws on criminal activity. Early signs in yesterday's Home Office statistics are not encouraging: 26 per cent of antisocial incidents last year had a link with alcohol, compared with 24 per cent the previous year. In addition, more crimes were committed between 6pm and 6am and more occurred later at night. Since the laws were relaxed in the hope that the more liberal approach to drinking would reduce crime, these may be taken as poor results. But the evidence connecting licence law changes with crime remains inconclusive. News from the accident and emergency unit at St Thomas' Hospital in London is more concerning ? 8 per cent of cases were drink-related in March 2006 compared with 2.9 per cent in March 2005. But this research needs widening because of the capital's disproportionate role as a centre of late-night entertainment.