NCJ Number
240739
Date Published
April 2012
Length
214 pages
Annotation
This final report from the National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund presents the results of a study examining existing strategies to address alcohol-related harm in the entertainment districts of two regional Australian cities.
Abstract
Findings from the data indicate that in both cities studied in this report, males were more likely to present in emergency departments (ED) with injuries during high-alcohol hours than females, and most alcohol-related incidents occurred on weekends. The findings also indicate that interventions adopted by law enforcement in Newcastle had some effect on reducing ED visits resulting from injuries sustained during high-alcohol hours, while interventions adopted in Geelong appeared to have no effect on the rate of ED visits. The study also examined the police incident data in each city, and found that most assaults that occurred during high-alcohol hours took place in the streets, 40 percent, followed by private residences, 24.4 percent. The analysis also found that higher rates of assault during high-alcohol hours occurred during the spring and late summer, compared to other times of the year. Other areas included in the study were rates of property damage and drink-driving offenses. Using the police incident and ED data, the researchers were able to evaluate the effectiveness of community interventions on reducing the rates of alcohol-related violence. The analysis found that interventions that were narrow and targeted were more likely to receive community support as compared to strategies that controlled access to alcohol, leading to a greater possibility for decreases in alcohol-related harm during high-alcohol hours. Implications for policy and directions for research are discussed. Tables, figures, references, and appendix