THEY called it "black Friday". On December 18, 2004, the festive spirit in York city centre descended into a night of drunken thuggery. At its end, every police cell in York and North Yorkshire was full.

The contrast with the party season just gone is remarkable. York police report one of the quietest Christmases for years, with violent crime falling by 20 per cent.

What has changed? The licensing laws.

As the date approached when the new act came into force, there were dire warnings of the chaos it would deliver. Allowing pubs to open later, we were told, would herald a serious escalation in binge drinking, and all the violent and anti-social behaviour associated with it.

In fact, the reform has done precisely what was originally intended. It has ended the 11pm flashpoint, which encouraged pub goers to speed drink before last orders and then threw them all out on to the streets together.

Instead revellers can drink at their own pace and go home when they choose. And when they do, cabs are more readily available, reducing the ill-tempered scrum at the taxi queue.

We cannot judge the law on a single Christmas, of course. Other factors were at play, notably the cold weather and York police's impressive high-profile presence in the pubs and on the streets. But it is a very encouraging start.

Updated: 10:22 Thursday, January 12, 2006