The drink has been blamed for a rise in anti social behaviour (Picture: Dragon Soop)
Police in north England have seen a spike in youth violence, linked to a caffeinated alcoholic drink dubbed ‘Dragon Soop’.
Newcastle city centre has seen an ‘unprecedented’ surge in youth violence as groups of up to 30 gather to drink the 7.5% ABV drink – and subsequently commit ‘serious assaults’.
A report from Northumbria Police Seargant Emma Dixon cited police operations aimed to ‘target an unprecedented surge in youth violence which police believed was a direct result of underage alcohol consumption and misuse of drugs’.
Sgt Dixon told Chronicle Live: ‘Their behaviour would deteriorate during the evening as they became more intoxicated and more violent incidents were reported by members of the public.’
Dragon Soop is a canned alcoholic beverage which retails for around £3.29, and comes in a range of fruity flavours.
In addition to it’s 7.5% ABV, it contains high levels of caffeine – 35mg per 100ml – and its website says it is the ‘number one caffeinated alcoholic beverage in the UK’.
Police began an operation to help tackle the increase of anti social behaviour (Picture: Northumbria Police)
It says it is not suitable for children, pregnant women or persons who are sensitive to caffeine.
Several young people were arrested last year, all of whom were ‘drunk at the time’ and could not recall what they did until they were shown CCTV, Sgt Dixon said.
In response to the uptick of anti-social behaviour, police launched Operation Magnolia, which deployed officers to uncover young people buying Dragon Soop from off licences themselves, or using adults to buy it.
The operation has since had a positive impact in reducing anti-social behaviour, Sgt Dixon said.
More Trending
Crime figures showed that police incidents in the city centre jumped from 90 in 2021 to 163 in 2023 – though this is partially attributed to the end of Covid restrictions.
Last year, parents were encouraged to talk to their children about alcohol as part of a new campaign about underage drinking.
Although the levels of underage drinking in the UK continue to fall, 71% of young people between the ages of 11 to 15 said their parents or carers are their main source of alcohol.
Metro.co.uk have reached out to Dragon Soop for comment.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.