By Andrew Starke
Gaming and Racing Minister Kevin Greene and Minister for Police Michael Daley have announced that a new community-wide pilot scheme aimed at reducing alcohol-related violence will be trialed in Manly this summer.
Greene said the pilot scheme, the first in NSW, would bring together local licensed venues and retailers to reduce alcohol-related violence around known Manly hotspots.
“There’s no better place in summer than Manly, with thousands of people drawn here to the beach and Corso every weekend,” he said.
“But it’s quite clear the community are fed up with the incidents of alcohol-related violence and public disturbances taking place here, especially at night.”
According to Greene, 103 of the 136 liquor licenses in the entire Local Government Area are in Manly itself, many of them concentrated along a handful or streets.
“That’s why this needs to be a community-wide approach that brings together local Police, licensed venues, Manly Council, transport operators, the Australian Hotels Association and local business and residents,” he said.
In a statement the new Manly Community Safety Partnership said it would: manage crowds entering and leaving the precinct; improve late night transport to reduce loitering on the Corso; see the deployment of extra police in Manly on nights when the police typically see an increase in alcohol-related violence; ensure bar and security staff are properly trained; and provide targeted enforcement around known late-night violence hotspots, like food vendors.
Minister of Police Michael Daley said taking a proactive community-wide approach to curbing violent assaults would help make the area safer.
“Police and the wider community have serious concerns about the levels of alcohol-related violence occurring here and that is totally unacceptable to this Government,” he said.
“Manly has twice the State average of assaults with around three quarters of incidents reported to Police alcohol-related.”
Australian Hotels Association (AHA) CEO Sally Fielke welcomed the new measures.
“Manly needs a plan that deals with the issues specific to Manly and involves all of the stakeholders,” she said.
“The hotels have already been implementing a number of proactive ideas and we look forward to integrating this into a whole of precinct approach which, amongst other things, addresses personal responsibility of the individual.”
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