Exclusive: Police will no longer fine drunk and disorderly offenders if they agree to attend an alcohol education programme under a radical new scheme to tackle booze-fuelled crime in Scotland.

Police will no longer fine drunk and disorderly offenders if they agree to attend an alcohol education programme under a radical new scheme to tackle booze-fuelled crime in Scotland.

A pilot project to be launched today in Fife will offer those who would normally be given a £40 ticket for urinating in public or minor breaches of the peace the option of attending a counselling session instead.

These will involve discussions about the health problems of binge drinking - including the increased risk of liver cirrhosis and certain cancers.

Ultimately, the initiative could be rolled out across the whole of Scotland.

Last year Fife police handed out almost 2000 fixed-penalty notices for low-level, alcohol-related offending. There were 459 tickets given to those caught urinating in public and 652 for breach of the peace, 214 to those drunk and incapable in a public place and 519 to those caught consuming alcohol in a public place.

Andrew Barker, assistant chief constable of Fife, said the main factor behind these types of offences was the misuse and consumption of alcohol.

"This is not about the hardened criminal or serial offender, it is about tackling low-level offending which has a significant impact on the community.

"Anti-social behaviour and low-level crimes contribute to a wider fear of crime. This project is a first in Scotland and offers Fife Constabulary the opportunity once again to be involved in a programme that seeks to address the root cause of alcohol abuse."

Offenders caught being drunk and disorderly will still be given a ticket by officers and it will be recorded, but they will also be given the option of attending a three-hour intensive education session. If they attend within 28 days the fine will be waived.

The intervention sessions are run by Fife Alcohol Support Services (FASS) and funded by the authority and the Scottish Government. Jim Bett of FASS said: "The first thing is to raise awareness of the potential consequences in terms of illness, accidents and the increased risk of being a victim of crime. Once we have got people thinking about it we give them options about how to change.

"We know from public health surveys that on average people tend to underestimate how much they drink. It is about addressing inappropriate drinking. It may be that they are within the male guidelines of 21 units a week but that they drink all 21 on a Friday night."

The move follows news that one in 20 Scots die from alcohol-related illnesses - twice as many as previously thought. In the UK, there are an estimated 5.8 million binge-drinkers.

Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary, said: "Fixed-penalty notices have proved a valuable tool in helping the police tackle low-level anti-social behaviour and a means of delivering swift and visible justice.

"However, enforcement alone will not solve the deep-seated problems which fuel lawlessness in our communities. Folk who commit low-level anti-social behaviour need to face the consequences but also have to realise the cost of their behaviour. Educating them about the consequences for them and the effects on them and those around them is equally important." In 2007/08, anti-social behaviour offences accounted for 50% of all recorded crimes and related to 34% of all calls to Fife. The pilot scheme will operate within the Kirkcaldy area for six months. The Fife pilot scheme comes as a leading charity said alcohol should not be advertised on television before the 9pm watershed. A large number of adverts for alcoholic drinks are shown before this time, when children are likely to be watching television, Alcohol Concern said. A spokesman said: "Our research has shown a peak in alcohol advertising during the hours of 3pm and 5pm when there are obviously going to be lots of kids watching, often unaccompanied by adults. "Given the evidence with regard to the high level of drinking among minors in the UK, and the influence of alcohol advertising on young people, it is appropriate that the current rules should be tightened in order to protect children."