In Great Britain, at present, no valid or reliable estimate can be made of the proportion of interpersonal violence caused by alcohol, nor can an assessment be made of the levels of alcohol consumption associated with an increased risk of involvement in interpersonal violence. A critical review of existing British studies and surveillance systems has been undertaken, which indicates that the role of alcohol in interpersonal violence could be defined more precisely, if new and better analytical studies were conducted, if ongoing logitudinal studies and existing surveillance systems were improved or better exploited, and if new surveillance systems were implemented.