Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

The new nightlife: ‘less like Paris, more like the Somme’

By Richard Eckersley and Lynne Reeder - posted Friday, 20 March 2009


The problem of worsening violence in public places is an international phenomenon, associated in part with the huge growth in what is called the night-time economy. In Britain, this growth has been called the biggest single threat to public order and health and safety.

The idea might have been to create a civilised, European-style nightlife. The reality is something different: as a British commentator noted, “Yeah, well, actually it is a real European environment out there, but a bit less like Paris and more like the Somme”.

Victoria Police recently commissioned Australia21 to conduct an expert roundtable and to write a report on violence and public safety as part of the development of a whole-of-government strategy. The participants came from a range of relevant scientific disciplines and state government departments and agencies with responsibility for policy development and implementation.

Advertisement

There was agreement across all jurisdictions - police, ambulance, hospitals, courts and education - that there had been, in the past few years, a pronounced increase, not only in the incidence of violence, but also in its severity. As one participant said, in the past a pub brawl was just a brawl. The worst thing that might have happened was that someone would be swinging a billiard cue around. “Now it’s gone beyond that. It’s the king hit, it’s the glassing, the stabbings, the things that you didn’t really see in the past.”

Melbourne metropolitan ambulance records show cases of assault have roughly doubled since 1999 to more than 600 a month, with cases involving stabbings and gunshots jumping from about 50 to 100 a month. According to police, recorded assaults in the public domain in Victoria have increased by more than 20 per cent in the five years to 2007 to almost 14,000 a year; most of the increase is in night-time assaults.

Other States, including New South Wales, have seen a similar surge in antisocial behaviour, including violence in public places. The rise is part of a long-term trend of increasing rates of violent crime (excluding homicide) in Australia.

Much, but not all, of this public violence is alcohol- and drug-related, and involves young people as both offenders and victims. The Federal Government recently held the first-ever Australia Youth Forum to engage young people on issues of vital concern to them. The first topic of interest was violence and safety.

The upsurge in public violence is not readily explained. It is possible Australian society has reached a tipping point, where the conjunction of many social changes and developments - short-term and long-term, specific and broad - has produced social conditions conducive to violence.

Explanations include: changes in alcohol and drug use; the huge growth of the night-time economy; a 24/7 lifestyle; broad social changes relating to poverty and disadvantage, the family and parenting, communications technology and the media; and an individualistic, consumer culture. There are also: young people’s biological and social development; links between antisocial behaviour and other aspects of young people’s health and wellbeing; and the lack of sustained action to address the problem, coupled with a dearth of good research evidence on what works in some key areas.

Advertisement

More specific issues include: industry deregulation and promotion of economic considerations over social goals; the failure of accords between licensees and authorities; and inadequate public transport in entertainment precincts. At the broader social scale, there are: parental over-protection or neglect; increased social expectations and pressures, on the one hand, or social exclusion and alienation, on the other; a perception of violence as the norm, even fun; a lack of respect and empathy; and a sense of invulnerability and ignorance of human fragility.

When it came to proposing solutions, some participants focused on more immediate, direct interventions to address public violence; others emphasised a broader, social-development perspective. Nevertheless, most, if not all, participants agreed on the need for a multi-dimensional strategy spanning timeframes, social scales and government jurisdictions.

Key responses reflected this wide range of actions, including:

  • increased policing of randomly selected premises at random times, and more targeted policing of problem premises;
  • training bar staff in managing all antisocial behaviours, not just drunkenness;
  • achieving a better mix of regulatory strategies that balance economic and social goals and objectives, combine informal and formal regulation, and can be adapted to suit different localities;
  • introducing specific programs in schools to enhance the social and emotional wellbeing of students;
  • broadening the focus of the education system beyond academic achievement and vocational qualifications to make the curriculum more relevant to young people’s lives and passions;
  • increasing parent education; and
  • addressing violence in the media.

Police are dealing with the immediate problems by increasing police presence in entertainment precincts and heavily targeting antisocial behaviour, but they acknowledge this is only part of the solution. Everyone from parents, to young people, education providers, police and government have a huge role to play in addressing this issue.

There are no quick fixes to increasing public violence. We need to tackle the deeper social issues.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. All

First published in the Canberra Times on March 17, 2009.



Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

14 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Authors

Richard Eckersley is an independent researcher. His work explores progress and wellbeing.

Lynne Reeder is the executive officer of Australia21, a non-profit company whose core business is multidisciplinary research and development on issues of strategic importance to Australia in the 21st century. Her report, co-authored with Richard Eckersley, Violence in public places: Explanations and solutions, was released in March 2009 and is available at www.australia21.org.au

Other articles by these Authors

All articles by Richard Eckersley
All articles by Lynne Reeder

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 14 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy