During the voluntary trial in Cupar, Fife, where licensees agreed to restrict the sale of alcohol to those aged 21 and over on Friday and Saturday evenings, calls to the police about anti-social crimes fell by nearly 60 per cent, while the number of actual offences fell by 45 per cent. 

Robison said the pilot had highlighted how grassroots initiatives can make a “big difference” to residents’ quality of life. 

She said: "Clearly, as Public Health Minister I think there are huge long-term health benefits from cutting down on alcohol intake and, for young people, delaying the age at which they start drinking regularly in order to develop a more mature relationship with alcohol. 

"But what this pilot shows is that, when the police, retailers and residents work together we can have a huge impact on anti-social behaviour for the good of the whole community.” 

Alcohol misuse is estimated to cost Scotland more than £2.25bn per year. In a bid to address the economic and social costs of alcohol misuse the Scottish Government has suggesting a number of proposals, including raising the off-sales alcohol age to 21 and introducing a minimum price for a unit of alcohol. 

"Taken together,” Robison said, “we think our proposals could help bring about the cultural shift in attitudes to alcohol we think is needed, in order for Scotland to reach its full potential.” 

However, Robison urged the public to “make their views known” on this issue by responding to the Government’s consultation, which will run until September 9. 

The pilot in Cupar follows a similar trial in Armadale, West Lothian earlier this year.  

Craig Dewar, Fife Police's divisional crime reduction plan Inspector based at Cupar police station, said the object of the trial was to disrupt the supply of alcohol to underage persons and have a positive impact on the quality of life of Cupar residents.  

He continued: "Compared to the crime levels of the three weeks leading up to the start of the campaign, there was a 58 percent reduction in the number of calls to the police concerning anti-social behaviour, with a 44 percent reduction in the commission of anti-social crimes. 

"The success of the scheme is primarily due to the support of the retailers in Cupar and the neighbouring village of Springfield, who have been 100 percent behind it." 

Paul Caira, who owns the Central Café in Cupar, said: "We had a lot of young kids hanging around outside the café and it was very intimidating for the customers, especially in the evenings.  

"We're now not selling to under-21s on a Friday and Saturday between 4pm and 10pm and I've really noticed the difference. Now, there are hardly any young people hanging around on the streets and the ones you do see are not under the influence.  

"I think it's also cut down on the 'agent buying' that we saw in Cupar, where young people who had just finished school were buying alcohol for their younger friends. When they're three years older they're much less likely to be hanging around with under-18s." 

The ‘Changing Scotland's relationship with alcohol’ discussion paper can be found here