Alcohol violence concerning Sunshine Coast youth
Sun 13 December 2009
Melissa Pretorius, Bachelor of Journalism
An increase in alcohol-related violence has led to a deterioration in public safety on the Sunshine Coast, experts say.
According to the Sunshine Coast Youth Partnership executive officer Jody Tunnicliffe, alcohol-fuelled violence is a safety concern for Sunshine Coast youth.
"There certainly is a concern for personal safety being expressed by young people,” Ms Tunnicliffe said.
The recent Sunshine Coast Youth Summit, organised by the Youth Partnership, surveyed 150 people and revealed "the young people present felt concerned about their personal safety when they were out at night", Ms Tunnicliffe said.
Many personal stories were disclosed of youth who had been either abused or threatened by an intoxicated person.
Studies from the National Drug Institute show alcohol-related injury results in 80,000 Australians being hospitalised annually, and is a factor in the deaths of one in seven young people.
Sunshine Coast Liquor Enforcement Unit Sergeant Wayne Denholm also said he believed alcohol-related violence was a major issue on the Sunshine Coast.
"I have seen an increase in the amount and severity of alcohol related violence,” Sgt Denholm said.
“Where people used to fight with their fists, they are now more inclined to put the boot in and use weapons, which results in more severe injuries.”
Sgt Denholm also warned that because of an increase in consumption of alcohol during the summer months, it was likely that there would be even more of an increase in alcohol-related violence on the Sunshine Coast.
The State Government is also concerned about alcohol related violence.
The Law, Justice and Safety Committee began an inquiry into alcohol-related violence in Queensland, and were also present at the Sunshine Coast Youth Summit.
Ms Tunnicliffe said the members of the committee asked young people if alcohol-related violence was a pressing issue of concern, and the overwhelming response was yes.
Sgt Denholm said that, along with the Liquor Enforcement Unit, a local squad called the Special Public Order Team (SPOT) is specifically designated to deal with Hot Spots for alcohol-fuelled violence on weekends.
"There are many good order operations that police perform to deal with violence associated with alcohol consumption,” Sgt Denholm said.
“We have set operations for high risk periods such as New Years Eve and Australia Day and other random operations.”
Ms Tunnicliffe said that an increase in alcohol-related violence and the decrease in safety have serious ramifications for the youth of the coast.
“It instils a sense of fear and concern and more importantly disconnects young people from one another and the community," Ms Tunnicliffe said.
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