NCJ Number
192213
Date Published
2001
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This bulletin investigates police recorded assaults in licensed premises in inner-city areas of Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong, located in Australia.
Abstract
An Australian analysis of police recorded assaults in inner-city licensed premises revealed that 12 percent of hotels in Sydney accounted for 60 percent of assaults on hotel premises, in Newcastle 8 percent of licensed premises accounted for 80 percent of assaults where as in Wollongong 6 percent of licensed premises accounted for 67 percent of assaults. Most assaults occurred late at night or in early morning and on weekends. Violence was most likely to occur in hotel bars and other establishments that served alcoholic beverages 24-hours a day rather than shorter, standard hours. A significant challenge for public policy was to find the optimal mix of education, particularly of employees in such establishments, and enforcement of anti-intoxication laws in order to reduce alcohol-related problems like assaults. The authors suggest that increased enforcement might be helpful, but concluded that further research was necessary, particularly on characteristics of violence-prone establishments and on current enforcement practices. Tables, figures, references, and notes