Buckfast Tonic mentioned in more than 5,000 crime reports

The infamous Buckfast Tonic Wine – produced by Buckfast Abbey by Benedictine monks – has been mentioned in more than 5,000 crime reports by Scotland’s biggest police force in the last three years, a BBC investigation has revealed. 

The findings – reports in the Strathclyde area of Scotland - are revealed in the programme BBC Scotland Investigates: The Buckfast Code, which is being broadcast tonight.

According to an article by the Press Association, during the programme Superintendent Bob Hamilton of Strathclyde Police was asked whether the figures mean that Buckfast can be said to be associated with violence.

He replied: "I think it's clear from the figures that there is an association there."

He added: "The figures are fairly clear that Buckfast is mentioned in a number of crime reports and over the period requested, the Buckfast bottle was used 114 times as a weapon."

The monks of Buckfast Abbey and their distribution partners strenuously deny that their product is particularly harmful, saying that it is responsibly and legally enjoyed by the great majority of purchasers.

They also point out that the areas identified with its acute misuse have been economically deprived for decades, and that Buckfast represents less than one percent of the total alcohol sales in these places.