This Australian study reports on the implementation and effects of a surveillance system for incidents of person-to-person violence tested in the Cairns (Queensland) late night entertainment precinct (LNEP), which used data from the hospital emergency department (ED) and a closed-circuit television network (CCTV).
The study shows that it is feasible to collect data on the number, nature, and time of occurrence of an assault in the target area and to do this in near-to-real time. Although improvements in data collection and validation assessments are still required, data from the ED has supplemented police data in documenting violence in the target area. The study also showed the importance of CCTV surveillance and street-based security intervention in responding rapidly to violent episodes so as to prevent escalation. The study also showed that police interact regularly with the surveillance system, including using camera footage as evidence in prosecutions for crime in the city generally. The study found a strong capacity and willingness for various agencies to collaborate in the intervention, including health services, victim support groups, local media, liquor license representatives, and representatives of the jurisdiction's liquor regulatory body. Based on the findings, the study recommends that a surveillance system include, at a minimum, a clear definition of the target area; effective ways to count and describe incidents of person-to-person violence in the target area; effective ways of estimating the population exposed to the risk of violence for the target area; and strong local coalitions of stakeholders with the capacity to use the system and support intervention strategies. This report contains eight linked feasibility studies conducted in Cairns during 2010. 14 figures, 5 tables, extensive references, and appended training requirements for a new license and abstracts of each study.