ONE of Tamworth’s top cops believes sweeping alcohol reforms in the CBD’s pubs and clubs has helped deliver a significant drop in violent assaults in the area.
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According to the latest crime statistics, non-domestic assaults have fallen by 17.8 per cent in Tamworth in the 12 months to December 2014.
“We have been telling our community for so long about the problems, and here we have some liquor reforms put in place by concerned members of the industry and the result is magnificent decreases in alcohol-related assaults and non-domestic assaults,” Oxley Inspector Jeff Budd, pictured, told The Leader. “We believe there is strong links to the liquor reforms that have happened in Tamworth.”
The crime figures, from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), are the first publicly released measurement on how alcohol-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour has been affected since the liquor accord reforms were introduced in December, 2013.
In December 2013, the Tamworth Liquor Accord introduced a 12.30am lockout and bans on the sale of high-alcohol content pre-mixed drinks and shots, as part of a package of measures.
Inspector Budd said there has been a big turnaround, especially in policing resources.
“In 2012, prior to the liquor reforms, Oxley police did in excess of 500 individual hours policing licensed premises and pubs and clubs,” he said.
“That’s 500 individual police hours. That’s a massive amount of police hours not being used now for that, and instead used in traditional policing functions, doing free security for the community and looking after property.”
According to the BOCSAR numbers, the trend of violence offences have fallen almost 18 per cent, and police have seen a drop in property crime, which they believe is also related because of increased resources targeting the problem.
“It’s because police no longer spend an exorbitant amount of time on issues around licensed premises,” he said.
“The officers are now focusing, because they can, on what really scares our community and property crime which affects people.”
Inspector Budd said the assault numbers could drop even further with the introduction of electronic ID scanning, which is in the process of being implemented by most Tamworth CBD pubs and clubs.
“The violence hasn’t stopped but it is decreasing,” he said.
“We expect the introduction of scanning devices will improve that situation.”
The drop in assaults is more than double the numbers recorded across the state of 9 per cent, while the Kings Cross entertainment precinct recorded a 32 per cent drop in assaults and the Sydney CBD 26 per cent.
