The recent spate of violent incidents in the Kings Cross district, culminating in the death of teenager Thomas Kelly, has authorities scrambling for a solution. New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has offered one such solution, in backing a lockout in an attempt to combat the violence in the area.
Pubs, clubs and establishments in the area have been cooperating with police since the tragic incident occurred in attempts to reduce the violence in the area which most are attributing to alcohol. Scipione has since lent his support to the lockout which if implemented will prohibit entry into venues after a certain time.
This will mean that after a predetermined time, patrons will not be allowed to enter a venue, those patrons in the venue will not be thrown out but others wishing to enter will be denied. The logic behind this approach is that patrons will hopefully not “pub hop” as many do. They become intoxicated in one establishment and then just move on to the next, continuing to drink well beyond what’s reasonable.
Not all members of the public are behind the proposed lockout, with owners and operators of establishments criticising the idea. These parties believe that authorities need to step up and provide better transportation and policing in the area.
This report on TheShout.com.au has more:
New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has reportedly backed the introduction of a lockout to curb violence in Sydney’s Kings Cross.
Since the recent fatal assault of teenager Thomas Kelly, the State Government and police have been in talks with pubs and clubs in the area about reducing alcohol-fuelled crime.
The ABC has today reported that Commissioner Scipione has announced his support for a lockout that would prevent patrons from entering venues after a pre-determined time.
“It doesn’t mean you have to empty the venue, it means that no one can enter,” Scipione said.
“It means that patrons don’t go from one venue to another, when they’ve had too much to drink, and move on to another location where they can drink even more alcohol.
“It also stops a lot of the interactions in the street.”
Australian Hotels Association (NSW) CEO Paul Nicolaou told TheShout the proposed lockout was clearly not going to work.
“How would the lockouts have prevented the death of Thomas Kelly?” he asked.
“What we need are solutions that are going to solve the issues that are pertinent to the Cross, i.e. transport, high visibility of policing, more CCTV and zero tolerance on street crime.”
Source: http://www.theshout.com.au/2012/08/06/article/Lockout-mooted-for-Kings-Cross/EQNMTRRKIJ.html
While everyone blames alcohol for the violence in the area, as an alcohol server it is important to know how to serve alcohol in a responsible manner so as not to contribute to this alcohol fuelled violence. Servers of liquor have a responsibility to customers and society in general to serve alcohol in the most responsible manner and part of this responsibility involves receiving the appropriate RSA Training.
Responsible service of alcohol dictates that you be held accountable for your actions, because they have far reaching consequences. You actions may have serious ramifications on the community and society in general, as the death of Thomas Kelly demonstrates when alcohol is not responsibly served. This should serve as a warning to others in the industry, from security staff to waitrons and bartenders etc.
Not only is the violence bad for business because it deters good paying customers from the area, it also has an adverse social impact. But how should waitrons and other venue workers respond in a potentially violent situation? RSA training is vital in teaching you how to handle customers, however common sense also plays a part.
Patrons that are overly intoxicated are more difficult to deal with and attention and care is needed when dealing with them. Some ways of recognising them are: they are more likely to be messy and spill drinks, they may break objects or vomit and cause disorder. Often these situations escalate into aggression and violence more quickly, placing staff and other patrons at risk.
Once establishments develop a bad reputation it’s difficult to overcome. Many patrons will be put off as your establishment becomes known for attracting violence and so puts off better behaved patrons. Extra visits from police can put the establishment’s license at risk.
Another problematic area that servers need to be aware of is the risk that violent customers also pose to other customers. Intoxicated customers are more at risk than sober individuals when returning home as they are more vulnerable to car crashes and attacks, such as the one that claimed Thomas Kelly’s life.
Posted by Peter Cutforth
