The Queensland Police Union have released their submission to the Inquiry of the Law, Justice and Safety Committee of the Queensland Parliament on Alcohol-Related Violence in Queensland. The main recommendation is to restrict nightclub hours until 2am and suburban hotels to 12 midnight.
Well done, although some might argue for even shorter hours and greater limits to the number of outlets selling liquor after hours would be a good thing. And why get involved in Big Event Boozing? Why get sucked into continuing to allow Big Liquor to profit from Big Events and continue to push the association of ‘any excuse’ with binge drinking? This is what has occurred in Victoria and Queensland needs to make no concessions on liquor opening hours on the excuse of an event.
Great statistics and facts are provided such as:
- 50-70% of all police work is associated in some way with alcohol
- 60% of all alcohol-related incidents attended by police occur on or within sight of licensed premises
- 60% of all police attendances and 90% of late night calls [involve] alcohol
- The key predictor of levels of alcohol-related harm [is] the amount of alcohol consumed on the premises and the extent to which obviously intoxicated patrons continue to be served with alcohol.
- Dealing with intoxicated persons can be dangerous and officers are at constant risk
- Expenditure on police services to deal with alcohol sets the Queensland Taxpayer back some $500 per head of adult population in Queensland. That’s money you’ll never see again.
All good stuff, but the Police Union make no demands on the key component of this crisis. The alcohol consumer.
How would life be for Queensland Police Officers if all Queensland alcohol consumers were told in advance what the max. pedestrian BAC was, why it was 08, what the onerous fines and other penalties for transgressing that limit were, and how effective and omnipresent Random Breath Testing of alcohol consumers would be?
The 05 Campaign has shown that heavily set social norms can be challenged and changed via a partnership of legislation, education, promotion and just a touch of policing. Surely we now need to focus on challenging and changing the wider community attitudes to binge drinking!
See rationale behind the campaign here
See blog entries, including responses to media articles and government policies here.
