By The Editor
UPDATE (13/11/09) – The results are in. Click here to see our findings on this important issue.
UPDATE (11/11/09) – Part 1 poll questions have now been included in this post, for easier voting. Be sure to weigh in on this issue!
Continuing from Part 1 of our survey on Melbourne CBD street violence, this week we have two new questions for our readers. While the price of damaged property and lost trade has been felt by many businesses, there also lies the associated cost of security measures can be just as taxing to your bottom line.
Whether it’s hiring security staff, installing cameras security screens, or rostering additional staff on late shifts – what have you had to do to ensure the safety of your staff and business? Also, do you think that the State Government can do more to prevent street violence?
Have you also had your say on last week’s poll? Cast your vote below:
Have more on your mind? Then let us know what you think in our survey and comments board.
Very well written post. Just found an excellent site with UK government documents on it – http://www.officialdocumentwatch.com is a really well built site and them seem to be very up to date – always posting the latest UK government documents released to the public. Worth a look.
A tough policy on sentencing, 3 strikes and you are out. Mandatory 12 months gaol after the 3rd offence, no parole, no early release, the full 12mths. This is for minor offences only, heavier penalties for major offences.
Alcohol is the cause of 99% of problems. Close liquor outlets at midnight and make sure there is adequate public transport to get people home between 12 and 2.00am. If people cant get enough alcohol in by midnight they arent trying.
Totally agree with this statement. Took the words from my mouth.
It is not rocket science!! Close the drinking establishments / clubs etc by 12:00 at the latest.
Our culture and history lends itself to excessive drinking. Drinking to excess, not for the taste. Have a look at the history of England and Ireland. Do we want our culture to be awash with drunks and violence?? Or is it too late??
Anyone who has experience alcohol either directly or indirectly will know what I am talking about.
Take a look at more civilised cultures like Japan!!
Melbourne is an international embarresment at the moment.
That’s a fair few good points raised. Just to play devil’s advocate: do you think this violent behaviour is only due to excessive alcohol consumption; or are there other underlying factors not being addressed (or raised)?
Would be interesting to hear what everyone thinks…
Violent behaviour is not only due to excessive consumption of alcohol. Throwing around “speculative statistics” is unhelpful, potential harmful. Evidenced based strategies are essential to intelligent policy development.
On the one hand, evidence shows that the consumption of alcohol by Australians (measured in litres per capita) has remained stable during the past decade and the pattern of consumption by Australians (14 years and over) has remained relatively unchanged. On the other, recorded assaults in the public domain in Victoria have increased by over 20% in the past five years to almost 14,000 a year.
The evidence strongly suggests that there are other underlying factors driving street violence rates and some are not being adequately addressed.
In identifying factors that underlie violence, it is important to distinguish between structural causes and trigger risk factors. Underlying structural causes are generally related to unequal power relations, trigger risk factors, in contrast, relate to situational circumstances that can exacerbate the likelihood of violence occurring.
In a structural sense, much social violence is gender-based – that is, linked to gendered power relations and constructions of masculinities.
The marked growth of what is referred to as the night-time economy is an example of a trigger risk factor. There is an interplay between this factor and alcohol consumption patterns. There is also a straight volume increase aspect; more people out and about at night lifts the number of interpersonal interactions (of any nature – good and bad), which in turn lifts the number of violent interactions.
[...] We are also running an ongoing survey about the impact of Melbourne CBD violence. If you’d like to have your say, click here. [...]