By Andrew Starke
Ivy and Star City Casino have been named as two of the most violent venues in Sydney, with both high-profile establishments now subject to restrictions.
The casino was ranked fourth and the Justin Hemmes owned Ivy debuted tenth on a list of the top 100 most violent pubs and clubs compiled by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR).
The two will join 32 other establishments who recorded 19 or more assaults for the year to June in the top tier under the Rees Government’s ‘three category of restriction’ policy.
These premises will have to offer free water and food for ten minutes every hour after midnight, stop serving alcohol 30 minutes before closing, lock their doors to new customers at 2am and serve alcohol in plastic glasses, amongst other restrictions, although they will have a three month grace period pending a review process.
A spokesman for Nathan Rees confirmed the Premier would enforce the new restrictions.
The controversial “name and shame’ system has angered many publicans who believe they are being unfairly targeted, arguing that the list does not take into consideration the number of patrons a venue accommodates.
Contacted by TheShout, Merivale responded to claims about the incidence of crime at two of its eight venues in Sydney’s CBD – Ivy and Establishment.
Merivale GM, Brett Sergeant, said “Our own statistics differ greatly from those published by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research and we look forward to providing our own research to both the bureau and the Local Area Command.”
“There is a comprehensive, three months consultation process before any conditions could potentially be placed on our licence. We will continue to trade as per normal over the next three months until the review process concludes and the data is finalised in December 2009”, he said.
Sergeant concluded that it is ‘irresponsible and misleading’ to ignore the number of patrons frequenting large venues when looking for a solution to reducing alcohol-related crime and assessing the safety rating of these venues.
“We operate arguably Australia’s safest venues and are very proud of our record. We look forward to working closely with the Local Area Command to clarify the data and improve even further the security measures already in place.”
Topping the latest list was the Mean Fiddler with 42 assaults followed by Glasshouse Tavern (36), Penrith Rugby League Club (30), Star City (29), Stonewall Hotel (26), The Valley Brewery (26), Coffs Harbour Hotel (24), The Colombian Hotel (24), Albion Hotel (23), Collingwood Hotel (22), Imperial Hotel (22), Ivy (22), Steyne Hotel (22), The Gaff Restaurant, Bar & Nightclub (22) and White Bull Hotel (22).
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