Kings Cross drops off the top 48 hitlist
All liquor outlets in Kings Cross have dropped off the state’s hitlist of most-violent pubs according to new statistics from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) measuring on-premises assault from July ’08 to June ’09.
Venues scoring 19 or more assaults in a year remain on the level-1 hitlist and will suffer the 2am lockout package of sanctions (detailed below) while venues scoring 12–18 will be hit with similar controls but without the 2am lockout. The new conditions kick in on 1 December.
The highest-ranking Kings Cross venue on the new list is The Empire at number 49 in the State, with 15 assaults. The Vegas ranked at 56 with 14 recorded incidents and the Dragonfly club at 65 with 13 incidents. (Incidents recorded are not necessarily all alcohol-related according to BOCSAR).
This means the current 2am lockouts may be lifted from the Empire and The Vegas.
Several Oxford Street venues, however, exceeded the threshold of 19 incidents. Stonewall was listed as having 26 assaults followed by the Columbian with 24, The Gaff with 22 and the Exchange with 19. The Oxford Hotel has dropped off the list.
No other postcodes in the City of Sydney appeared on the BOCSAR lists except Star City and the CBD which had 12 venues named, topped by Ivy with 22 incidents and the Three Wise Monkeys lowest with 11 incidents.
Star City Casino fared worse with 29 incidents but will remain exempt from the lockout provisions, contrary to other media reports. This was because the government classified the casino differently – it has government inspectors on-site and is overseen by a police intelligence unit, said Peter Grimshaw, Star City’s head of public relations.
He agreed with hoteliers who were critical of the way the data was ranked into a simple league table.
“A big venue like ours shouldn’t be compared with a small hotel,” he said. “Star City gets about 24,000 customers a day.”
That adds up to over eight million a year, so 29 assaults is only a tiny percentage.
“We are very conscientious about reporting incidents – and there’s a greater chance of prosecuting offenders because we have so much security and video,” said Mr Grimshaw.
The Kings Cross figures do not support the recent push to establish ‘over-saturation’ of licensed premises in entertainment precincts as the key driver of excessive rates of violence, with the City of Sydney recently spending $50,000 on research intended to support the theory.
Across NSW, 48 venues recorded more assaults than any in Kings Cross even though it is the state’s most saturated venue precinct. This also raises questions about the new legislation freezing development of venues specifically in entertainment precincts.
The freeze comes as the hotel trade in the city is already sharply declining. In Kings Cross this year venues have closed, several are in receivership and bottleshops have laid-off staff shifts. The downturn is locally attributed to the global financial crisis and a drop in tourist numbers.
However one Kings Cross hotel manager said the downturn was mostly in daytime and weekday trade, with demand on the weekends remaining high.
Under the new guidelines, Level 1 venues (19 or more assaults) will have the following restrictions imposed: 2am lockout; 10-minute time out, or the provision of free water and food for 10 minutes every hour after midnight; Cease service 30 minutes prior to closure; No glass after 12am; No shots, no doubles or ready-to-drinks over 5% alcohol content; No more than four alcoholic drinks per customer per order; and extra security measures.
Level 2 venues (12–18 assaults) will have to apply the 10-minutes per hour rule, cease service 30 minutes prior to closure and have no glass after 12am.
Level 3 venues (8 to 11 assaults) will be given help by the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing to strengthen alcohol and security management.
Reclassification of venues will be possible twice a year based on a review of assault data.
by Michael Gormly
