Responsible Service of Alcohol Tasmania Update
It is no doubt the volume of alcohol fuelled violence and public assaults which have taken place over the past year has become alarming and totally out of hand, even in Tasmania where it isn’t as high as it is in the rest of the country but is still cause for concern.
Now the Liberal Government has presented a solution to help curb this violence by reinstating the Tasmania Police Public Order Response Team – a move the Police Association of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Hospitality Association has welcomed and applauded.
In an article on TheMercury.com.au opposition spokeswoman Elise Archer said that the re-establishment of Tasmania Police Public Order Response Team (PORT) would involve the employment of an additional 23 dedicated police officers and would cost $7 million over four years. The commitment to reinstate PORT is part of the government’s crackdown on crime and an effort to restore safety to the Tasmania community.
This last weekend was a particularly eye-opening one because it resulted in hundreds of arrests of drunken and disorderly people all across the country during the nationwide Operation Unite. Although the number of arrests in Tasmania was much less than other parts of the country, there were also a number of alcohol fuelled incidents in the state. The increased police presence in the state seems to be having a very positive impact.
The article on TheMercury.com.au explains:
Operation Unite: A Blitz Against Drunken Violence held nationally at the weekend resulted in few arrests in Tasmania, compared with record numbers on the mainland.
In total there were six charges of assaults, 10 public annoyance, 11 drink-drivers and three breaches of the liquor licence.
Ms Archer credited this to the effectiveness of a highly-visible police presence.
“Short-term police blitzes are no replacement for having a permanent and strong police presence, in areas that are hot spots for anti-social behaviour, like the Hobart waterfront and Launceston CBD.
Operation Unite: A Blitz Against Drunken Violence held nationally at the weekend resulted in few arrests in Tasmania, compared with record numbers on the mainland.According to police the number of alcohol fuelled offences over the course of the year is cause for concern because it rose by almost 200 from 2394 to 2573. Unfortunately the lack of police manpower is partly to blame which is why it is hoped the reintroduction of PORT will change that.
The article on TheMercury.com.au goes on to quote the President of The Police Association about the need for more police,
“In the past 12 months to September the total number of offences rose from 2394 to 2573, with public assaults rising by 44 per cent, business burglary offences by 36 per cent and serious crime offences by 15 per cent.” Police Association president Pat Allen said PORT was badly needed.
“There are not enough police out there at the moment, especially in the South to keep control of the violence on the wharf.” Tasmanian Hospitality Association general manager Steve Old said his industry worked in collaboration with police.
“One of the things we did over a number of years was work with the PORT team to cut down the number of violent incidents in and around our entertainment precincts and we’ve noticed the incidents of trouble are starting to climb back up,” he said.
