WebMail
My BigPond
Police say their crackdown on growing drunken violence in Melbourne's CBD is working, with a 32 per cent jump in arrests over the last year.
They announced on Monday that during the first six months of 2009, police locked up 2,521 drunks on Friday and Saturday nights, compared to 1,904 last year.
City violence reached crisis levels last year following the bashing death of 24-year-old Cranbourne man Matthew McEvoy outside the QBH nightclub.
It followed other deaths and serious injuries arising from brawls outside city bars on weekends.
The police Safe Streets Taskforce had been working hard for six months leading to increased arrests and visits to licensed premises, Acting Inspector Glenn Jackson from Region 1 Licensing and Public Order said.
He said that this year the taskforce had:
Visited 13,940 licensed premises, compared to 11,185 last year
Issued 1,046 penalty notices for offensive behaviour and indecent language
Issued 1,451 council penalty notices to people carrying open alcohol containers in public
Issued 1,085 banning notices
Issued 6,116 traffic and pedestrian infringement notices
Fined 28 people for urinating in public
Checked 41,734 people
Checked 13,076 vehicles
Acting Inspector Jackson said police were better trained and being better allocated in dealing with public order issues in the city on weekends.
'They are more confident when dealing with people who may be aggressive or heavily intoxicated and are adequately briefed before they go out so they are aware of all of the available options,' he said.
Violent crime rose under former police chief Christine Nixon to a record high last year - although crime in general dropped during her time in the top post - and current chief Simon Overland has said it was the police's job to make Victorians feel safe.
The Victorian government trialled a 2am lockout on bars and clubs in the CBD last year, but it failed when a number of venues received exemptions.
