Problematic Licensed Premises for Assault in Inner Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong

Abstract

Evidence suggests that licensed premises are often associated with alcohol-related harm, particularly violent crime. However, not all licensed premises appear to be equal contributors to alcohol-related problems in the community. This paper examines the distribution of harmful outcomes across licensed premises in three inner-urban areas of NSW. Police-recorded assault incidents on licensed premises in inner Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong over a 2-year period were analysed. In inner Sydney 12% of hotels and nightclubs accounted for almost 60% of all assaults at hotels and nightclubs, in inner Newcastle 8% of licensed premises accounted for nearly 80% of all assaults on licensed premises and in inner Wollongong 6% of licensed premises accounted for 67% of all on-premises assaults. The analysis also found that assault incidents on licensed premises were concentrated late at night or early in the morning and on weekends. Licence types identified as being the most problematic for violence on licensed premises were hotels and nightclubs. In particular, hotels with extended or 24-hour trading recorded a greater number of assaults compared with those trading standard hours. The implications of these findings for crime prevention and law enforcement strategies are discussed.

Times to drink: cross-cultural variations in drinking in the rhythm of the week

“…In a U.S. general population sample, Dawson (1996) found those who drank after midnight were at least three times as likely as other drinkers to report adverse consequences. However, apparent hazards of nighttime drinking may have multiple causes: people do more of their drinking then (Assanangkornchai et al 2003; Dawson 1996); cumulative effects of drinking plus fatigue may be more evident later at night (Arfken 1988; Corfitsen 1996; Philip et al 2001); and nighttime drinking may be more likely to involve hazardous encounters with other people (Briscoe and Donnelly 2003; Wells and Graham 2003). …”

The Negative Effects of Alcohol Establishment Size and Proximity on the Frequency of Violent and Disorder Crime across Block Groups of Victoria, British Columbia

“…Patronage, however, is a multifaceted. We know from previous literature that crime occurs at a higher frequency inside and around certain alcohol establishments, more than others [22][23][24]28,47]. As such, the factor increase we calculated for bars and pubs (1.0009) within DAs, and bars and pubs in neighboring DAs (1.0007), may not stay constant in all regions.…”

“…Particular bars are thought to attract risk-taking groups of people; thereby, increasing the potential for crime in those areas [25]. On-premises licenses with loud music, dance floors, liberal serving practices, and high patron capacity also have a disproportionate amount of crime around their establishments [26][27][28].…”

“…The concentration amounts to more than 50% of crimes happening around the establishments [22][23][24]28,47], and crime clustering within 152 m or 5000 ft of the premises [22]. Alarmingly, bars within economically deprived areas can double crime occurrence rates [2].…”

Enforcement of liquor licence provisions: The introduction of civilian licence inspectors in Victoria

“…Police are also more inclined to enforce provisions regarding the behaviour of drinkers themselves, rather than that of licensees or their staff (Briscoe & Donnelly, 2003;Craze, 1994;Findlay et al, 2002).…”