200 RSA breaches in One Club result in Forced Closure
Its’ hard to believe that one club alone can commit so many RSA breaches that it is forced to shut down, but that is exactly what happened at the Wagga Wagga Boat Club.
Police were forced to close the club after discovering more than 200 licensing breaches during the Operation Unite crackdown.
Police across Oz have embarked on a crackdown on alcohol related crime and related anti-social behaviour, this crackdown has been labelled “Operation Unite”.
This latest shut down resulted from a raid on Saturday night when police found more than 200 licensing breaches and forced the club to cease trading immediately.
The following excerpt from a post on Abc.net.au details the incident further:
The Club at Lake Albert was raided on Saturday night during Operation Unite – a crackdown on alcohol related crime and anti-social behaviour.
In a statement, police say the breaches of the liquor law were discovered during a single inspection.
The club was immediately closed and directed by the officers to cease trading.
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-16/police-close-wagga-boat-club/5158908?§ion=news
A police inspector spoke on behalf of the Wagga Wagga Local Area police who explained that the breaches were to do with improperly accredited management. Inspector Darren Cloake explained that club had committed several responsible service of alcohol breaches. The person employed to manage the club had not completed RSA training and there were other offences relating to responsible service of alcohol.
It is important that other managers and licensees learn from this incident that authorities will not tolerate RSA breaches and that every person working on the premises must have completed Responsible Service of Alcohol training.
He went on to explain:
“The club has currently employed a temporary manager and that manager doesn’t hold a current RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) or RG (Responsible Conduct of Gambling) certificate, therefore the club’s been operating without the necessary authority,” he said.
“The person’s been operating for approximately 44 days. Those offences relate to the sale and supply of alcohol. Basically for the 44 days, each day that they’ve been operating is an offence.”
Inspector Cloake says police will follow up on the closure order tomorrow.
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-16/police-close-wagga-boat-club/5158908?§ion=news
According to national legislation, licensees, serving and security staff must undergo mandatory Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) training. The RSA course equips people working in the alcohol service industry with the skills and knowledge needed to work in a socially conscious manner and is mandatory, as this incident proves.
If the owner’s and management had complied with their RSA requirements and ensured that their staff and management were suitably trained, it is unlikely that they would have been shut down. But just undergoing RSA training is not enough, staff need to put their training in practice in order for it to be effective and to avoid fines and forced closures.
