WRITTEN in 120-point and splashed across the front page, the headline said it all: YOU BOOZE, YOU LOSE.
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In the wake of the senseless bashing murder of Thomas Kelly in Kings Cross and the alleged king-hit of a patron in Peel St, the state was demanding tougher laws against alcohol-fuelled buffoons.
Tamworth’s pub owners heard the clarion call for change, introducing sweeping changes to the way they operated.
Hailed as the strongest in regional NSW, the new standard included a blanket ban on shots, 12.30am lockouts, the removal of high-alcohol pre-mix drinks from fridges and a “barred from one, barred from all” policy.
Some questioned whether the regulations would lead to meaningful change or were simply a token gesture by publicans to soothe an angry community.
This week, they got their answer.
Police figures show a sizeable – and welcome – 30 per cent drop in alcohol-fuelled assaults in Tamworth in the 11 months since the new rules kicked in.
The dramatic shift confirms what authorities have long known: when licenced venues and police work hand- in-glove, they can move mountains.
However, more must still be done to make our CBD safer after dark.
As any bouncer will tell you, it’s 1 per cent of patrons causing 99 per cent of the carnage.
As such, police and publicans must continue to fine-tune their strategies in identifying habitual offenders and keeping them out of licenced premises and out of the CBD.
ID scanners at late-night venues, able to identify trouble-makers and send a message to other premises, are an obvious first step to doing this.
We should commend local pub and club operators for taking a hit to their bottom line, which they have no doubt done, for the greater good.
But a dollar spent today is a dollar saved tomorrow.
Ultimately, a safer venue is a more appealing venue for patrons and a more profitable venue in the long-run.