i have long held the view that much can be done about drunkenness and loutish behaviour in Britain, but the civil liberties brigade will come down on it like a ton of bricks. First if a lad or lass is puking their guts up in the street, they be taken to a drunk tank, not the hospital. I have seen too many there, and it's an ugly sight. second that when they are sober, they pay a fine, covers the police time, and coffee they will need to get sober. They will most certainly be stung by the costs, say 50 quid, they won't do it again believe me, thus saving the police, paramedics time, money. There are drawbacks to this, but quite honestly if you want to stop this from happening, and get the police back to being policemen and not nursemaids to a lot of drunken hooligans, then that is one way.
If a person is ill and they need hospital care, then they shouldn't have to be subjected to this stupid drunker behaviour. Having witnessed it myself in A&E when i was very ill, i can safely say that those fighting, stinking drunk needed a good kick up the rear.