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Tag: Violence

  • New One-Punch Laws to help Curb Sydney Violence

    The level of alcohol fuelled violence in Sydney has certainly gotten to a dangerous extent but are the new laws implemented by the government warranted? That is the question many are asking themselves. As servers in the hospitality industry it is important that we keep abreast with any new laws and news relating to alcohol and the consequences of its misuse.

    One of the measures to be introduced is a mandatory eight year jail sentence for fatal one-punch attacks fuelled by alcohol or drugs in an effort to curb alcohol related violence in Sydney.

    The “one-punch” law has been announced recently by NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell as well as other measures include expanded Sydney CBD lockout zones, a freeze on issuing of liquor licences and the state-wide closure of bottle shops at 10:00pm. Also the sentences for serious assaults fuelled by alcohol have been increased by 2 years.

    The following excerpt explains more about the new measures from Mr O’Farrell:

    “It is no longer acceptable to go out and drink yourself stupid, take illicit substances, start fights, ‘coward punch’ people or engage in other assaults thinking you [will] get away with it,” Mr O’Farrell said.

    “From the point the legislation is passed, those days are over.”

    Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-21/one-punch-laws-to-tackle-sydney-alcohol-fuelled-violence/5210740

    The state Opposition says the laws aren’t enough to warrant positive change but families of victims of alcohol fuelled violence, including the parents of Thomas Kelly who died in Kings Cross in 2012, say they are pleased with the measures. Thomas Kelly’s father had this to say about the measures:

    Mandatory is the key word here. The judge has no choice now. It’s welcome news,” Kelly’s father Ralph said.

    “It’s bittersweet to know that the reform will come in shortly, but it’s also still terrible for us as a family,” Mr Kelly said.

    “It’s sad we had to bring in this change and that our community has to have these laws but if that’s the only way we can… make cultural change and social change and stop thugs from hitting people, then so be it.”

    Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-21/one-punch-laws-to-tackle-sydney-alcohol-fuelled-violence/5210740

    One of the new measures is an expanded lockout zone which now stretches from Kings Cross to Darling Harbour. This means that there will be a mandatory lockout at 1:30am for all licensed premises across an expanded Sydney CBD entertainment precinct.

    Also there will be no drinks served after 3:00am even if the premises remains opened. The only venues exempt from these new laws are small bars (less than 60 patrons), casinos, restaurants and tourist accommodation facilities.

    If you work in a venue that falls within the boundaries of the new measures, here are a list of them to help you keep track:

    • Eight-year minimum sentencing for alcohol or drug-fuelled assaults ending in death.

    • Serious assault maximum penalty increased by two years, with mandatory minimum sentences.

    • On the spot fines for disorderly behaviour increased from $200 to $1,100.

    • Police have powers to immediately ban ‘troublemakers’ from CBD/Kings Cross.

    • Penalty for possession of steroids increased from two to 25 years.

    • CBD/Kings Cross venues to have 1:30am lockouts with drinks stopping at 3:00am.

    • Bottle shops across NSW to close at 10:00pm.

    Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-21/one-punch-laws-to-tackle-sydney-alcohol-fuelled-violence/5210740

     

  • Curfews and Harsher Penalties part of Crackdown on Violence in Sydney

    The hotel industry isn’t too happy about the new measures introduced by the government to crackdown on alcohol fuelled violence in Sydney’s entertainment district and in particular the 3am alcohol curfew. Pubs and clubs have called the measures harsh and “radical”, fearing that the impact it will have on their businesses will be crippling.

    The hotel industry has also warned that the crackdown by O’Farrell’s government would harm the “night-time economy”. Those in the legal field have also criticized the measures.

    The measures were announced last Tuesday and under them dozens of late night trading venues in central Sydney will have to lock out new customers from 1:30am and will have to stop serving alcohol altogether from 3am.

    According to Barry O’Farrell’s new measures, liquor license fees will be subjected to a risk based system throughout NSW and bottle stores will be forced to close by 10pm.

    Perhaps one of the laws that has gotten the biggest response from the public, some against it and others praising it, is the one-punch law. This law carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 8 years jail time for fatal assaults where drugs and alcohol were a factor and the maximum penalty is 25 years jail time.

    The following excerpt from an article on Smh.com.au explains more about the new measures:

    Police will be given powers to test violent offenders for drugs and alcohol and intoxication will be removed as a mitigating factor in sentencing.

    Legislation for the sentencing changes will be introduced next week and the government expects to have them in place by February 1. Mr O’Farrell said he hoped the new trading laws would be operating by the end of April and would be independently reviewed in two years.

    ”This is not about penalising responsible drinkers,” he said. ”It is about attacking the irresponsible acts of those who allow themselves to be intoxicated, whether by drugs or alcohol.”

    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/premier-pledges-to-take-action-on-alcoholfuelled-violence-20140121-316y0.html#ixzz2rAMGpmVY

    Licensed venues are being warned that the new restrictions will be in addition to those already in place for pubs and clubs on the violent venues list or subject to the plan of management already in place in Kings Cross.

    The new laws were announced after the government faced increasing pressure to act on the violence in the district following the New Year’s Eve death of 18 year old Daniel Christie. Christie, like Thomas Kelly was a young man killed in the area during a violent assault. Christie’s killer administered just a single punch but it proved fatal.

    But not everyone is pleased with the new laws. The president of the NSW Bar Association, Phillip Boulten, condemned the mandatory sentencing as a “one size fits all form of justice”, which failed to take account of the circumstances of each case. He went on to explain:

    ”The government’s suite of practical measures aimed at reducing the availability of alcohol on our streets is the appropriate response to the problem of alcohol-related violence, rather than the knee-jerk changes to the criminal law that have been tagged on to the package,” he said.

    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/premier-pledges-to-take-action-on-alcoholfuelled-violence-20140121-316y0.html#ixzz2rAMGpmVY

     

  • Alcohol Fuelled Violence seems to be spreading from Melbourne CBD

    According to new statistics, Melbourne’s CBD is has become the worst place for assaults and violent crimes and it seems to be spreading quickly.

    According to reports the number of assaults has begun to rise outside of Melbourne, with Geelong being one of the most violent areas. According to the statistics violence is no longer concentrated within the Melbourne CBD but has spread to surrounding areas such as Geelong.

    Melbourne’s CBD has been dubbed the “states biggest assault hotspot” but this violence is spreading to other areas more quickly.

    The following excerpt from an article on www.heraldsun.com.au explains more:

    As police look for ways to tackle alcohol-fuelled king hits, new analysis of crime statistics reveal Melbourne had 2741 reported assaults last year.

    But while assaults in the CBD have only increased by 1 per cent in the past year, the rate of violence has started surging outside of Melbourne.

    Geelong has become increasingly violent with a jump in assaults of 28 per cent since 2003, to 1848 reported cases.

    Whittlesea is also on the rise with a 19 per cent increase in assaults – 1453 last year. Wyndham’s assault rate has increased 20 per cent to 1227.

    Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/scourge-of-violence-spreads-from-melbournes-cbd/story-fni0fee2-1226799718151

    The article goes on to explain that according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare the number of victims of alcohol-related physical abuse rose from 4.5 per cent in 2007 to 8.1 per cent in 2010. Statistics show that alcohol related hospitalisations cost the country up to $36 billion every year.

    In Victoria on the whole, alcohol related hospitalisations have increased by 74 per cent since 2001. That accounted for more than 30,000 hospitalisations in 2010. According to the article other states have reported a similar situation.

    According to licensees, they are doing their best to work in cooperation with police to curb problematic alcoholic behaviour but others have blamed the high density of liquor stores for some of the surge in violence. The article on www.heraldsun.com.au explains:

    Pubs and clubs say they are working with police to curb ­bad behaviour.

    “Violence in and around licensed premises are at the lowest levels in 15 years – this is thanks to the co-operation between hoteliers and police,” said AHA director of policing John Green.

    Gino Vumbaca, executive director of the Australian National Council on Drugs, blames the increasing number of suburban liquor stores for the increased violence.

    “There are three causes of problems – price, availability and promotion. Now when you go out to get a haircut, you can now buy cheap liquor as well,” he said.

    Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/scourge-of-violence-spreads-from-melbournes-cbd/story-fni0fee2-1226799718151

    According to one government spokesman an increase in police recruitment and tougher penalties for drunken behaviour or breaches of liquor licenses were some of the strategies used to combat this problematic culture and stop the spread of violence.

    Despite these efforts, according to the article on HeraldSun.com.au the “assault hotspots for Victoria 2012-2013” include:

    Melbourne: 2741

    Casey: 2225

    Hume: 1900

    Greater Dandenong: 1859

    Greater Geelong: 1848

    Brimbank: 1791

    La Trobe: 1617

    Frankston: 1522

    Whittlesea: 1453

    Wyndham: 1227

    Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/scourge-of-violence-spreads-from-melbournes-cbd/story-fni0fee2-1226799718151

  • Research Links Teen Drinking to Violence

    Research by Australian Catholic University researchers indicates that there is a strong link between alcohol use during early and mid-adolescence and violence just two years later.

    According to an article on Ncah.com.au researchers, Professor Sheryl Hemphill and Dr.Kirsty Balog from the university’s school of psychology embarked on research into the longitudinal link between alcohol consumption and severe interpersonal violence among young people in Oz.

    Researchers evaluated data from 849 Victorian adolescents and discovered that alcohol use directly linked to violence in these youth’s lives. The study involved following the youths over a five year period from year seven until year 11 at secondary school as part of the International Youth Development Study – it revealed that drinking in year seven and nine led to violence two years later.

    www.ncah.com.au explains more:

    The research also discovered a bidirectional relationship between heavy episodic drinking and violence, prompting researchers to consider further investigation of the role that social and family contexts have in influencing the relationship between alcohol use and violence.

    In their report, the researchers state their findings suggest the risk processes begin in late childhood or very early adolescence, and they recommend targeting the common risk factors for alcohol and violence at this time.

    Dr Balog, who is based in Melbourne, said while previous published research had found mixed results, their research showed alcohol consumption and violent behaviours impacted on the developmental periods of early to late adolescence.

    “It’s such a problem in Australia really. Every news bulletin usually has alcohol and violence involved,” she said.

    “Our team mission is to improve the lives of young people and to understand more about those problems that we see in society and how we can improve them.”

    Source: http://www.ncah.com.au/news-events/research-finds-alcohol-in-youth-predicts-violence-two-years-later/1800/

    The main researcher, Dr Balog whose background is in psychological and psycho physiological research went on to explain that the study follows on from a survey which revealed that one in five Aussies aged 14 years and older drink at risky levels, placing themselves in danger of alcohol related diseases or injury throughout their lives. The survey Dr Balog was referring to was conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and was part of their National Drug Strategy Household Survey in 2011. The same survey also revealed that about two in five Aussies aged 14 years and older had a pattern of alcohol consumption that placed them at risk of alcohol related injury from a single drinking occasion at least once in the preceding year.

    The article goes on to explain:

    A Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Senior Proven Researcher Team at the School of Psychology, Dr Balog completed her psychology undergraduate studies at Swinburne University and her PhD at the University of Western Australia.

    Dr Balog has worked on projects focusing on substance use and mental health and her upcoming research projects will investigate problem online and antisocial behaviours among youth, such as online gambling and sexting.

    Source: http://www.ncah.com.au/news-events/research-finds-alcohol-in-youth-predicts-violence-two-years-later/1800/

    This research provides yet another reason why teenagers under the age of 18 should not be allowed to drink. Although it may be a practice rife in Australian teen culture, drinking can be detrimental to the development of teens not only physically and emotionally but mentally as well.

     

  • Weekend Violence Fuelled by Alcohol

    According to an article on The Daily Telegraph website, last weekend was one filled with alcohol-fuelled violence in Sydney, describing it as “two nights of alcohol-fuelled stupidity this weekend”. And the violence was not limited to locals alone, tourists and even women were involved in the violence, some even being punched and kicked on the streets of Sydney.

    A number of victims landed in the emergency ward at St. Vincent’s Hospital for a number of injuries ranging from minor to serious injuries.

    Reporters from The Daily Telegraph spent the night shift at the hospital with emergency staff to witness the drama. According to them in the eight hours they spent at the hospital, 34 patients were admitted, 25 of which were victims of assault most likely linked to alcohol – that is 73 per cent of patients admitted.

    This excerpt was taken from the article on www.dailytelegraph.com.au

    At 1am on Saturday Professor Gordian Fulde, the head of the emergency department, said goodnight to staff on the “graveyard shift” and wished them well.

    For the first few hours all was quiet. Nurses and doctors filled in paperwork, checked medical equipment and made small talk and cups of tea.

    At the front counter two triage nurses dealt with a few minor cases.

    Then, at 3.40am a young Irishman walked in bleeding from a cut on the head.

    “This is how it starts,” said one of the nurses.

    He and two female friends were attacked on Pitt St by two men.

    “We were just standing there having a joke. Next thing I know they are bashing into me. One even hit my girlfriend. Who hits women for f … . sake?”

    About 40 minutes later the “bat phone” screams out from the centre of the room. It’s amplified and used when a particularly nasty case is on its way and all hands are needed.

    Doctors and nurses run to a counter and the phone connected to ambulance radios is put on loudspeaker. A paramedic details how a 24-year-old man has been a victim of a violent assault in Elizabeth St. “Patient has been punched three times and knocked unconscious, five minutes away.”

    The victim’s 26-year-old brother was in the ambulance behind him having had his nose smashed after the two got involved with a group of men walking down Elizabeth St.

    Read more: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/sydney-cbds-violent-side-back-on-show-as-brawls-and-alcohol-fuel-the-weekend/story-fni0cx12-1226664681078

    Dr Fulde goes on to explain that after 3am is what doctors call “red line” time because this is the time when licenced premises start to close down and patrons spill out on to the street. 4:30am is when the ward is bustling with hospital staff and patients.

    The article goes on to discuss a number of assault cases one of which involved a 24 year old club goer who was spear tackled by bouncers at a Sydney club, leaving him unconscious and possibly brain damaged.

    Another incident involved a young man who was found wandering the streets in a daze with a wound to the head.

    According to the doctor young people particularly those in their twenties especially men are falling victim (and are becoming perpetrators) of alcohol fuelled assaults every weekend due to violence.