Alcohol, assault and licensed premises in inner-city areas

This report contains eight linked feasibility studies conducted in Cairns during 2010. These exploratory studies examine the complex challenges of compiling and sharing information about incidents of person-to-person violence in a late night entertainment precinct (LNEP). The challenges were methodological as well as logistical and ethical. The studies look at how information can be usefully shared, while preserving the confidentiality of those involved. They also examine how information can be compiled from routinely collected sources with little or no additional resources, and then shared by the agencies that are providing and using the information.Although the studies are linked, they are also stand-alone and so can be published in peer-reviewed literature. Some have already been published, or are ‘in press’ or have been submitted for review. Others require the NDLERF board’s permission to be published as they include data related more directly to policing, or they include information provided by police.The studies are incorporated into the document under section headings. In each section, they are introduced and then presented in their final draft form. The final published form of each paper, however, is likely to be different from the draft because of journal and reviewer requirements. The content, results and implications of each study are discussed in summaries included in each section.Funded by the National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund, an initiative of the National Drug StrategyAlan R Clough (PhD) School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences James Cook UniversityCharmaine S Hayes-Jonkers (BPsy, BSocSci (Hon1)) James Cook University, Cairns.Edward S Pointing (BPsych) James Cook University, Cairns

Hidden racism and systematic racism: is it contributing to the decreased health and well-being of Aboriginal homeless persons in the inner city of Cairns?

The presence of chronic rough sleeping Aboriginal persons in the Cairns inner city has been an ongoing issue for decades. Differing approaches have been taken to address this issue, including the 'hard approach' (zero tolerance) and the 'soft approach' (self-determination). However neither of these approaches has succeeded and have only served to perpetuate and escalate the problem. The complexity of the issue of long-term rough sleepers is further exacerbated by hidden racism and systemic racism which is underpinned by issues such as culture and the polemic divides that separate the service approaches to addressing this issue. Ultimately, the health and well-being of Aboriginal rough sleepers in Cairns is worsening and their quality of life is declining due to this unseen and incalculable racism. Of critical importance to their decreasing health and well-being is how their basic human needs are not being met due to the underlying racism that confounds it. This paper seeks to identify the issues of hidden racism and systemic racism among the Cairns inner city Aboriginal rough sleepers and explanations of hidden and systemic racism are offered and how this contributes to the decline in their health and well-being

Comparative CPTED Conference

The Sydney Institute of Criminology (University of Sydney) hosted a one-day Comparative CPTED Conference on 24 January 2012. This conference explored recent developments in CPTED practice and theory and brought together an exciting array of academics and practitioners from England, New Zealand, Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland and other locations. National trends and local case studies revealed different approaches and innovative developments in CPTED practice from numerous jurisdictions.SJB Urbi

Bouncers, brutes and brawn: are bouncers being discriminated against in news reports? a critical discourse analysis

Public perceptions of bouncers have been of thuggish, brutish men who like nothing better than to 'pound people into the pavement' or 'heave people out onto the street'. Arguably, Neanderthal-like perceptions of bouncers have prevailed over time, both in the eyes of the public and the eyes of the news media. Incidents of bouncers being involved in violent encounters, including deaths, have been well documented in the news media; most notably, the death of the Australian cricketer David Hookes in 2004. Links between bouncers, biker gangs and organised crime have also been identified and may well influence public perceptions of bouncers. Alcohol-related violence in the night-time economy is a complex social, cultural and structural problem that has no simple solution. Bouncers occupy a precarious and contradictory position as the protectors and minders of persons and property within the night-time economy. The news media is a powerful mechanism for influencing, producing and reproducing dominant ideological values and norms in relation to biases, discrimination and racism. This thesis employs a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) perspective and seeks to determine, through an in-depth analysis of news reports and a categorical qualitative analysis, if negative portrayals and discrimination through rhetorical and discursive strategies in the news media contribute to the public perception of bouncers as thugs. CDA seeks to uncover the political and ideological meanings behind talk and text. The aim of this research is to expose the underlying sociopolitical factors that are contributing to the vilification of bouncers in the news media in Australia. A manual, 'deep' qualitative analysis was conducted on 10 randomly selected news reports and 80 reports were analysed using the NVivo 10 qualitative software program. The manual analysis has indicated that rhetorical and discursive strategies are used in news reports to undermine bouncers' credibility and portray the industry as staffed with violent, undertrained, criminal individuals. Under- and over-statements, metaphors, and metonymic concepts, together with lexical choice, styles and structures are used freely by the news media to vilify, discriminate against and discredit bouncers. Bouncer 'voices' were excluded in news reports and only the 'voices' of credible 'experts' were quoted or 'heard' to legitimate journalists' claims of violent bouncers. The NVivo analysis showed 809 references to violence in the 80 news reports, with 233 'experts' cited or quoted in the text. There were 130 political abstractions and generalisations and 61 references to criminality. There were also 307 references to power being exerted over bouncers and 519 organisations mentioned in the text. Collectively, industry 'experts' distanced themselves from bouncers involved in violence and the bouncers responsible were 'blamed' for the violence, which supports the political ideology of responsibilisation. It is proposed that lack of state authority, low social status and working in an industry described as 'dirty work' contribute to social perceptions of bouncers as violent thugs

Possible strategies for reducing alcohol-related assault: community-based methodology in Cairns, tropical North Queensland (Australia)

Objective: To refine boundaries and characteristics of the late-night entertainment precinct in Cairns to facilitate refined measurement of alcohol-related assaults, assess stakeholder perceptions regarding interventions to reduce them and explore the contribution that this process can make to sustainable interventions.\ud \ud Methods: 29 semi-structured interviews incorporating cognitive mapping techniques, 12 focus groups with key service providers, and community-action research methodology to elicit feedback on preliminary findings.\ud \ud Results: The rate and severity of violence in the Cairns precinct has fallen over time; reducing alcohol availability would further reduce violence but have negative economic consequences. A generational culture of 'drinking to get drunk' exists. Community-level education programs addressing this are important. A majority of interventions identified by stakeholders were situational and environmental. Participants generally agreed on a defined precinct boundary, at the same time they highlighted unexpected violence 'hotspots'. Coordination and communication between relevant stakeholders is essential. \ud \ud Conclusion: The precinct is viewed as a safe place by stakeholders and they expect to continue working together to reduce violence. The emphasis on stakeholder communication endorses current government programs to address alcohol-related violence. Independent community-action research facilitates information transfer and is a key strategy to coordinate data collection, and in implementing and monitoring coordinated interventions. \ud \ud Implications: This study supports the importance to stakeholders of defined precincts for enhanced data collection to measure alcohol-related assaults, and previous studies indicate the importance of research as an independent driver to reducing this sort of violence. The methodology is a foundational stage of establishing scientific veracity in studying this public health issue, and in guiding policy and research directions

A letter from Australia: addressing deficits in venue security officer training in Cairns

As with other front-line agencies, the role of licensed venue security officers is risky, as they put their bodies on the line at work. As 'the watchers' of public behaviour and disorder, security officers are rarely asked about their needs or how to improve their industry and their role within it. A study of alcohol-related assault in and around licensed premises in inner city of Cairns (far North Queensland, Australia) identified the need for basic training in human behaviour, as it is essential to staff safety and protection. As part of the Cairns study researchers provided this training in response to senior management's request. This article describes the training provided and security officers' responses to it. The industry may be failing licensed venue security officers if rudimentary skills-based learning and workplace health and safety training and support are not addressed

The role of an open-space CCTV system in limiting alcohol-related assault injuries in a late-night entertainment precinct in a tropical Queensland city, Australia

Closed circuit television (CCTV) systems which incorporate real-time communication links between camera room operators and on-the-ground security may limit injuries resulting from alcohol-related assault. This pilot study examined CCTV footage and operator records of security responses for two periods totalling 22 days in 2010–2011 when 30 alcohol-related assaults were recorded. Semistructured discussions were conducted with camera room operators during 18 h of observation. Camera operators were proactive, efficiently directing street security to assault incidents. The system intervened in 40% (n=12) of alcohol-related assaults, limiting possible injury. This included three incidents judged as potentially preventable. A further five (17%) assault incidents were also judged as potentially preventable, while 43% (n=13) happened too quickly for intervention. Case studies describe security intervention in each category. Further research is recommended, particularly to evaluate the effects on preventing injuries through targeted awareness training to improve responsiveness and enhance the preventative capacity of similar CCTV systems

The Cairns Model: evaluating the context of an open-space, closed circuit television system in an urban centre in tropical Australia\ud

Australian and United Kingdom evaluations of open-space, closed circuit television (CCTV) systems in urban areas were reviewed in an attempt to identify elements of good practice and assess the Cairns Regional Council's (CRC) CCTV system against them. Recommended management and operational practices were extracted from peer reviewed public health and criminological literature and government reports. These were grouped by key topics and tabulated. CRC's CCTV manuals were examined. Observational sessions, open-ended discussions and focus groups with operators and stakeholders were used to identify operational and management practices. These were then compared with those found in the literature and the results fed back to Council. We found the Cairns CCTV model generally met recommended guidelines but improvements are possible. This article also situates this study within debate surrounding the adequacy of CCTV evaluation. Our evaluation used a public health 'continuous quality improvement' approach incorporating elements of a criminological 'realist evaluation' methodology. This identified 10 contexts within which to postulate and test, with further research, the mechanisms through which the Cairns CCTV system operates. Implications for improving our understanding of the effectiveness of CCTV are discussed

Is it worth emergency departments recording information about alcohol-related assault occurring in inner-city, late-night entertainment precincts?

[Extract] A significant proportion of presentations to hospital EDs in Australia are caused by alcohol-related assaults in inner-city, late night entertainment precincts, with significantly more during weekend peak periods. To reduce this kind of violence, both the Queensland Parliamentary Inquiry into Alcohol Related Violence (2010) and the National Preventive Health Strategy (2009) urge more comprehensive data collection to document numbers and types of incidents with both looking to EDs to provide these data. In a pilot study in Cairns, Far North Queensland, we attempted to document all incidents of alcohol-related assault in the inner-city during April, May and June (2010) to inform Cairns agencies implementing community-based and regulatory interventions

'What makes violence in backpacker tourism possible?' A critical realist study of tourism and the governance of security

[Extract] On 25 September 2011, 20 Brazilian backpackers were assaulted by five men in a hostel in Rio de Janeiro, stealing money, a computer and cameras. The hostel is near a military area, yet the backpackers complained about the lack of security (Loureiro 2011). Welsh student Katherine Horton was raped and killed by two fishermen on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand, in the evening of New Year's Day in 2006 (BBC News 2007). In 2010, Ian Horton, her father, was cleared of a charge of rape. His defence attorney told the court that Horton had suffered 'difficulties' in coming to terms with the murder and rape of his daughter (BBC News 2010). On 2 October 2011, a female, Estonian backpacker, 27, was followed from an inner city night club before being threatened with a knife, then sexually assaulted, on the foreshore at the northern end of the Cairns esplanade, the fourth female backpacker victim of a sexual assault in Cairns in just over two weeks (Bester 2011)