Local alcohol policies Introduction

Hours

Chikritzhs T, Stockwell T. 2006. ‘The impact of later trading hours for hotels on levels of impaired driver road crashes and driver breath alcohol levels’. Addiction;101:1254 – 64.

Late trading was associated with increased levels of impaired driver road crashes and alcohol consumption, particularly high-risk alcoholic beverages. Greater numbers of patrons and characteristics specific to clientele of hotels which applied for late trading hours (i.e. younger age, greater propensity to drunk-drive, preference for high-risk beverages) were suggested as having contributed to this increase.

Stockwell T, Chikritzhs T. 2009. ‘Do relaxed trading hours for bars and clubs mean more relaxed drinking? a review of international research on the impacts of changes to permitted hours of drinking’ Crime Prevention and Community Safety: 11, 153–170. doi:10.1057/cpcs.2009.

It is concluded that the balance of reliable evidence from the available international literature suggests that extended late-night trading hours lead to increased consumption and related harms. Further well-controlled studies are required to confirm this conclusion.

Chikritzhs T, Stockwell T. 2002. ‘The Impact of Later Trading Hours for Australian Public Houses (Hotels) on Levels of Violence’ J. Stud. Alcohol 63: 591-599, 2002.

Late trading was associated with both increased violence in and around Perth hotels and increased levels of alcohol consumption during the study period. It is suggested that greater numbers of patrons and increased levels of intoxication contributed to the observed increase in violence and that systematic planning and evaluation of late trading licenses is required.

Chikritzhs T, Stockwell T. 2007. ‘The impact of later trading hours for hotels (public houses) on breath alcohol levels of apprehended impaired drivers’. Addiction: 102: 1609–1617. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01981.x

At peak times for alcohol-related offences, late trading is associated with higher BALs among those drinkers most at risk of alcohol-related harm.

Popova S, et al. 209. ‘Hours and Days of Sale and Density of Alcohol Outlets: Impacts on Alcohol Consumption and Damage: A Systematic Review’ Alcohol and Alcoholism: 44 (5): 500-516.

Restricting availability of alcohol is an effective measure to prevent alcohol-attributable harm.

Duailibi S, et al. 2007. ‘The Effect of Restricting Opening Hours on Alcohol-Related Violence’. American Journal of Public Health: December 2007, Vol. 97, No. 12, pp. 2276-2280.

Introducing restrictions on opening hours resulted in a significant decrease in murders, which confirmed what we know from the literature: restricting access to alcohol can reduce alcohol-related problems. Our results give no support to the converse view, that increasing availability will somehow reduce problems.

Kypri K, Jones C, McElduff P, Barker D. 2010. Effects of restricting pub closing times on night-time assaults in an Australian city. Addiction; 106(2), 303-310.

Full article- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3041930/pdf/add0106-0303.pdf

A restriction in pub closing times to 3/3.30 a.m. in Newcastle, NSW, produced a large relative reduction in assault incidence of 37% in comparison to a control locality.

Rossow I, Noström, T. 2011. The impact of small changes in bar closing hours on violence. The Norwegian experience from 18 cities. Addiction; 107(3), 530-537. Full article- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03643.x/pdf

In Norway, each additional 1-hour extension to the opening times of premises selling alcohol is associated with a 16% increase in violent crime.

Schofield TP, Denson TF. 2013. Alcohol outlet business hours and violent crime in New York State. Alcohol and Alcoholism; Published online: 10.1093/alcalc/agt003, 2013. Abstract- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23349067

The findings suggest that alcohol outlet business hours affect the incidence of reported violence even in regions that would not be considered to have severe problems with alcohol-fuelled violence.

Hahn RA,et al. 2010. ‘Effectiveness of Policies Restricting Hours of Alcohol Sales in Preventing Excessive Alcohol Consumption and Related Harms.’ Am J Prev Med 2010;39(6):590–604) Full article- http://www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol/EffectivenessofPoliciesRestrictingHoursofAlcoholSalesinPreventingExcessiveAlcoholConsumptionandRelatedHarms.pdf

10 studies affirming that reductions in on-licensing trading hours of more than 2 hours has an effect of reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms

One-way doors

Babor, T. Et al. 2010. Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity Research and Public Policy (2nd ed.). Oxford

(see Lockouts page 160 – 161)

Mazerolle L, White G, Ransley J, Ferguson P. 2012. ‘Violence in and around Entertainment Districts: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Impact of Late-Night Lockout Legislation’ Law & Policy 2012 Jan; 34(1): 55-79

Our research shows that 3 a.m. lockout legislation led to a direct and significant reduction in the number of violent incidents inside licensed premises. Indeed, the lockouts cut the level of violent crime inside licensed premises by half. Despite these impressive results for the control of violence inside licensed premises, we found no evidence that the lockout had any impact on violence on streets and footpaths outside licensed premises that were the site for more than 80 percent of entertainment district violence. Overall, however, our analysis suggests that lockouts are an important mechanism that helps to control the level of violence inside licensed premises but that finely grained contextual responses to alcohol-related problems are needed rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.

Kypri K, Jones C, Mcelduff P, Barker D. 2011. ‘Effects of restricting pub closing times on night-time assaults in an Australian city’. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2011, Vol.106(2), p.303-310

This study indicates that a restriction in pub closing times to 3/3.30 a.m. in Newcastle, NSW, produced a large relative reduction in assault incidence of 37% in comparison to a control locality. Further research is required to examine the effects of lockouts. These are now used widely but there is little or no evidence concerning their effectiveness. In the meantime, licensing authorities presented with similar assault and disorder problems may be emboldened by these findings and should be encouraged to implement similar restrictions with suitable evaluation.

Palk G, Davey J, Freeman J, Morgan H. 2011. ‘Perspectives on the effectiveness of the late night liquor trading lockout legislative provision’. Criminal Justice Policy Review 2011 23:4, pp.465-492

The number of alcohol-related offences requiring police attention is significantly reduced in some policing areas and for some types of offences (eg, sex offences, street disturbances, traffic incidents). However, there is no variation for a number of other offence categories (eg, assault). Interviews with licensees reveal that although all were initially opposed to the lockout policy, most perceived benefits from its introduction. This study is the first of its kind to comprehensively examine the impact of a lockout policy and provides supportive evidence for the effectiveness of the lockout policy and provides supportive evidence for the effectiveness of the lockout policy as integrating positively with police enforcement to enhance public safety in some areas in and around late night liquor trading premises.

Queensland. Parliament. Legislative Assembly. Law, Justice and Safety Committee. 2010 ‘Inquiry into alcohol-related violence : final report’ accessed at http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/TableOffice/TabledPapers/2010/5310T1903.pdf

This report identifies that more can be done at a state level to provide adequate transport, better enforcement of liquor laws, and support to the community and the industry, particularly in areas concentrated with licensed venues. At a local government level the report demonstrates the need for more public amenities including public toilets and street lighting along with a commitment to identify and manage entertainment precincts. Entertainment precincts need to be formalised and all relevant stakeholders need to take responsibility for their management to ensure the safety of the community. A major change that all stakeholders wanted to see was a strengthening of individual responsibility

Shetty A. 2010. Wellbeing (Health) Impact Assessment of the Whangarei District Council’s draft liquor licensing policy Northland District Health Board.

A Wellbeing (Health) Impact Assessment (HIA) was undertaken on Whangarei District Council’s (WDC) draft Liquor Licensing Policy (draft LLP). The process was facilitated by the Northland District Health Board’s Public and Population Health Services. The draft LLP proposed introducing a uniform licensing hours for on-, off- and club-licenses across Whangarei District. It also looked at introducing a ‘one-way door’ policy for Whangarei Central Business District (CBD) on-licensed premises. The overall goal of the proposed draft LLP is to reduce alcohol-related harm in Whangarei District (the District).

Gavan G, Palk J, Davey J, Freeman J. 2010. ‘The impact of a lockout policy on levels of alcohol‐related incidents in and around licensed premises’. Police Practice and Research. Vol. 11, Iss. 1, 2010

Alcohol‐related offences, particularly those related to disturbances and sexual offences were significantly reduced following the introduction of the lockout policy. However, while offences related to property, stealing, and assault experienced a reduced trend, these did not reach significance. In contrast, traffic offence rates were unchanged. The findings of the study provide supportive evidence that lockout initiatives have potential as a major crime prevention technique to reduce specific types of alcohol‐related offences.

Moffatt S. Mason A. Borzycki C. Weatherburn D. 2009. Liquor licensing enforcement and assaults on licensed premises. Accessed at: http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/vwFiles/bb40.pdf/$file/bb40.pdf

The report finds that the incidence of assault on the 48 licensed premises upon which restrictions were imposed has declined, but the decline was not restricted to these premises. A general decline in the number of assaults on licensed premises occurred across the top 100 licensed premises listed on the BOCSAR website. The precise cause of the decline is unclear but likely influences include adverse publicity and increased enforcement activity by NSW Police and the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR)."

Miller P. Coomber K. Sonderlund A. McKenzie S. 2012. ‘The long-term effect of lockouts on alcohol-related emergency department attendances within Ballarat, Australia’. Drug and Alcohol Review 2012 Jun; 31(4) : 370-376

A small reduction in alcohol-related assaults and intoxication rates within Ballarat occurred before and after the introduction of the lockout. However, after this decline these rates steadily increased, surpassing Geelong by 2005. There is no discernible long-term impact on alcohol-related ED attendances of the lockout intervention in Ballarat. As such, other interventions may be more appropriate to reduce alcohol-related ED attendances.

Palk G. 2008. The nature and extent of policing alcohol related crime and reducing violence in and around late night entertainment areas. PhD by Publication, Queensland University of Technology. Accessed at http://eprints.qut.edu.au/29963/1/Gavan_Palk_Thesis.pdf

A number of alcohol-related offences requiring police attention were significantly reduced for some policing areas and for some types of offences following the implementation of the lockout policy. However, in some locations the lockout policy appeared to have a negative or minimal impact. Interviews with licensees revealed that although all were initially opposed to the lockout policy as they believed it would have a negative impact on business, most perceived some benefits from its introduction. The results provide supportive evidence that this novel lockout initiative can be beneficial for public safety by reducing some types of offences in particular areas in and around late-night liquor trading premises. Finally, intelligent-led policing initiatives based on problem oriented policing, such as the lockout policy examined in this thesis, have potential as a major crime prevention technique to reduce specific types of alcohol-related offences.

Kirkwood L, Parsonage P. 2008. Evaluation of the Christchurch city one-way door intervention. Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand and the Accident Compensation Corporation. Accessed at http://www.alcohol.org.nz/sites/default/files/research-publications/pdfs/One_Way_Door.pdf

The following are identified as requirements for successfully implementing this type of intervention to reduce alcohol-related harm, based on the Christchurch experience and literature findings: a strong vision for the project; effective working relationships between relevant agencies; the active recruitment and involvement of licensees in formulating a description of the problems and designing an effective solution(s); an intervention(s) that attends to multiple related issues identified as contributing to the problem being addressed; the involvement of all relevant stakeholders from the earliest stages; strong project leadership, typically from a steering group made up of relevant stakeholders; a dedicated full-time project management resource; planned and regular communication with all relevant licensees and other stakeholders involved in the intervention(s); self-regulation of compliance with the planned intervention by a licensee-only monitoring committee; planned communications to advise the public on the planned intervention(s) and to educate them in relation to minimising alcohol-related harm; a suitable infrastructure for the project to ensure that adequate resources are applied; adequate time to both set up and run the intervention and to achieve project targets; formal planning for the key transition of the project from dependence on personnel to dependence on a process, ultimately with the aim of the intervention becoming part of the routine procedures of the relevant government agencies and other stakeholders ie, “normalising” the processes of desired community change.

Freeman J, Palk G, Davey J. 2008. ‘Reducing alcohol-related injury and harm: The impact of a licensed premises lockout policy’ In Proceedings of 9^th World Conference on Injury Prevention & Safety Promotion, Merida, Mexico.

The findings of the study provide initial supportive evidence regarding the value of lockout initiatives to reduce injury and harm in and around licensed premises. However, in order to clearly demonstrate observed changes in alcohol use and alcohol-related problems that may be associated with the lockout policy for liquor trading hours, further research utilising control-designed longitudinal approaches is necessary.

KPMG 2008a Evaluation of the temporary late night entry declaration final report. Melbourne: Department of Justice, State of Victoria

Aggregate level data showed a number of positive trends in terms of reduced assaults in some areas but increased violence in others during the lockout period. Problems included lack of licensee ‘buy in’; the granting of stays resulting in an uneven implementation playing field; limitations on baseline data; and a wide range of external variables, including the implementation of other strategies aimed at reducing alcohol-related violence.

National Drug Research Institute. 2007. Restrictions on the Sale and Supply of Alcohol: Evidence and Outcomes National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Perth.

This study was initiated in an attempt to provide a comprehensive response to unanswered questions about ‘what works and where’ in relation to the many and varied alcohol restrictions applied throughout Australia. In relation to outlet density a particularly strong and consistent relationship was found between increased numbers of licensed premises and increased levels of violence. Planning and licensing decisions should be based on careful consideration of the likely benefits of restricting outlet density of licensed premises and equal consideration to the possible negative outcomes of unrestrained proliferation of licensed premises. Regarding lockouts the limited evidence available suggests that levels of alcohol-related disorder may decline where lockouts are implemented. However, police have also reported increased levels of other problems associated with refusal of entry and higher levels of intoxication, and others foresee a limited future for voluntary lockouts. More research needs to be conducted to confirm the short- and long-term effectiveness of lockouts and the optimum places and times, if any, where they should be put in place.

1^ Please note that the content of these guidelines is not legal advice, and some issues may require an opinion or advice from a lawyer

2^ Day et al 2012

3^ ALAC 2012

4^ NZ Law Commission 2010 Ch 6

5^ Babor et at 2010 p 131.

6^ ALAC 2012

7^ Cameron MP, Cochrane W, Gordon C, Livingston M. 2013.

8^ Babor et at 2010 p 136.

9^ Stockwell & Chikritzhs 2009

10^ Some persons are exempt from the restrictions such as employees and tenants who may be admitted but they must not be sold alcohol.

11^ See s. 50

12^ See s.110(1)(d)

13^ Kirkwood L, Parsonage P. 2008