SummaryTwo parallel investigations were conducted to assess the involvement of alcohol in police work. In the first, all persons arrested were asked whether they had taken alcohol in the four hours prior to the commission of their offence. The results confirm the belief that a considerable proportion of police work is alcohol, related. In the second study, the effect of a new polity on the supervision of licensed premises was assessed. The results indicated that this new practice may have been responsible for a drop in the commission of illegal behaviours. The implications of both studies, in terms of police practice and education of police officers about alcohol, are considered.