Today new powers come into force which allow police and trading standards officers to clamp down on alcohol-fuelled problems across the country.

Drink is one of the major social problems which contributes to the perception that streets are not safe after dark, unless you happen to be part of a gang of beer-swilling teens.

The fact is that our city belongs to all of us, and we should all be able to enjoy it, whatever form our preferred entertainment takes.

With the regeneration of Bradford city centre, the potential is there to transform it into a true 24-hour city with a wide range of activities.

But this can only become reality if the grip of the drunken thugs who think they own the city centre after hours is loosened.

Under the new powers pubs, clubs, bars and off-licences will face stiff, on-the-spot justice if they are found to be contributing to drunken mayhem.

Rowdy pubs and nightclubs can be immediately closed down for 24 hours, shop-keepers who sell booze to under-age youngsters will be named and shamed, and the authorities can even use young people to catch out the pubs and shops breaking the law.

This isn't a killjoy move aimed at stopping people having a good time. It's quite the opposite.

More people should be allowed to have fun in the city centre, and the best way to enable this is to cut down on the numbers of drunken thugs who roam the streets.

We all have a right to utilise our city, and hopefully this new strategy will help more people to have more fun.