The Effect of Community Interventions on Alcohol-related Assault in Geelong, Australia

Abstract

Abstract:Alcohol has consistently been demonstrated to increase levels of aggression and violence, particularly in late night licensed venues. Since 2005, the City of Geelong in Australia has implemented a substantial number of interventions to reduce alcohol related violence, including a liquor accord, increased police surveillance, ID scanners, CCTV, a radio network and an alcohol industry sponsored social marketing campaign. The aim of the current study is to assess the individual and collective impact of community interventions on indicators of alcohol-related assaults in the Geelong region. This paper reports stage one findings from the Dealing with Alcohol-related problems in the Night-time Economy project (DANTE) and specifically examines assault rate data from both emergency department presentations, ICD-10 classification codes, and police records of assaults. None of the interventions were associated with reductions in alcohol-related assault or intoxication in Geelong, either individually or when combined. However, the alcohol industry sponsored social marketing campaign 'Just Think' was associated with an increase in assault rates. Community level interventions appeared to have had little effect on assault rates during high alcohol times. It is also possible that social marketing campaigns without practical strategies are associated with increased assault rates. The findings also raise questions about whether interventions should be targeted at reducing whole-of-community alcohol consumption.

Correlates and motives of pre‐drinking with intoxication and harm around licensed venues in two cities

“…Newcastle had strict measures in place, primarily including licensed venues being shut at 3:30am and a one‐way door (or lockout) at 1:30am [6,7]. On the other hand, Geelong venues were able to trade until 7am while a range of measures aimed at reducing harm, such as an industry funded education campaign, ID scanners, CCTV and radio networks, were in place [8,9]. The occurrence of different approaches in similar cities was seen as an opportunity to study the different characteristics of drinking cultures in these cities as well as assessing any impacts the interventions may have had on patron behaviour and levels of harm in the community [10].…”

Effectiveness of community‐based interventions for reducing alcohol‐related harm in two metropolitan and two regional sites in Victoria, Australia

“…In both Geelong and Shepparton, injury presentations have remained relatively stable over the 15 year period, and ARIMA models revealed that none of the interventions included in this paper had a significant impact in terms of reduction of harms. In Geelong, this has been in the context of varying police interventions [40,41] and a substantially declining density of late night venues.…”

Alcohol‐related crime in city entertainment precincts: Public perception and experience of alcohol‐related crime and support for strategies to reduce such crime

“…The entertainment precincts of both cities had a history of alcohol‐related violence [30], with various harm‐reduction strategies being implemented over time. In the Geelong entertainment precinct, as many as 25 voluntary‐based strategies had been implemented years [38], including the Geelong Liquor Accord (1991), Safe Taxi Ranks (2005), Night‐Time Radio Watch Program (2007), ID scanners (2007) and Victoria Police operations (2007 to 2009).…”