by OnSong » Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:40 am
FROM SAPOL SITE:
Stemming the flow of alcohol fuelled violence
Police have long said we have had enough of dealing with the wake of destruction left by alcohol fuelled violence.
To help tackle this widespread social problem, the State Government this month announced they'll move to reduce the trading hours of pubs and clubs and enforce a three-hour daily break in selling alcohol.
It's proposed the break will be between 4am and 7am.
The binge drinking culture and associated violent behaviour continue to present extreme difficulties for police. There are 537 licensed premises concentrated in the CBD, with six venues able to trade 24 hours a day.
Crime data shows that in the CBD most offenders are intoxicated when they commit the crime.
South Australia Police Statistics, 2009-2010 in the Adelaide CBD
59% of arrests for victim-recorded crime was alcohol related
45.7% of offences against the person in the CBD involved victims affected by alcohol
59.6% of offences against the person in the CBD involved offenders affected by alcohol
69.9% of public order offences in the CBD were alcohol related
Hindley Street
53.7% of offences in Hindley Street involved victims affected by alcohol, compared to 36.5% for the whole of the CBD.
83.7% of offences in Hindley Street involved offenders affected by alcohol, compared to 69.5% in the CBD.
The majority of these crimes occur after 2am on weekends.
The commitment from police to provide appropriate resources to this considerable problem cannot be overlooked.
There is a dedicated Police Station in Hindley Street and in July last year we implemented significant changes to rosters with 20 more police dedicated to keeping the CBD safe.
When the 4am closing is introduced we will continue with special operations to target alcohol-fuelled violence.
However, constant calls by some to keep throwing more police resources at this problem are misguided.
Irresponsible drinking is a community-wide problem and law enforcement is only one part of the solution.
Commonsense says we should be addressing the issue before it ends up in the hands of police.
Licensed venues need to play their part and must stop putting profit before people and ensure that they meet their obligations and their responsibilities.
There needs to be a break between the day time and night economies. Most other states in Australia have a break in trade, even 'high tourist' precincts such as the Gold Coast where there is a mandatory break between 5 and 7am.
New South Wales has introduced mandatory closing between 4am and 10am.
Many international 'tourist' cities do not have 24-hour trading, but do have a vibrant city.
New York has a legislated closing time from 4 am and 8 am. with reported trends for closing times at 2.00am.
In Europe, many cities have a break in trading. Following a move to 24-hour trading, the UK is dealing with enormous increases in violent crimes in an around licensed premises.
Police support a vibrant city - both during the day and at night.
Our proposal includes the sensible provision of alcohol, and particularly not supporting rapid and excessive drinking.
Finally, there also needs to be a shift in public attitude – and this starts at an individual level. The drink-to-get-drunk culture has to change.
It is not okay to drink until you can't stand up. It is not okay to get drunk and hit someone. It is not okay to vandalise property when you're having a big night out.
The real cost of a big night out is too high and change is needed at many levels in order to alleviate the damage done by alcohol in the community.
Right in front of me. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!