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'To put it plainly, too many Australians
now partake in “drunken” cultures
rather than drinking cultures.'
Katherine Mann, senior police officer in
the Drug and Alcohol Coordination Unit of
Queensland Police Service, drew on this
quote from the Australian National Alcohol
Strategy for her talk on the role of police in
harm reduction. Police spent a third of their
time responding to alcohol-related incidents,
and alcohol was involved in a quarter of
incidents attended by police, she said.
Ms Mann's home state provided plentiful
data on high-risk drinking, containing some
of the riskiest drinkers in Australia. Eighty per
cent of Queenslanders drank alcohol and
many young people were contributing to the
40 per cent of drinkers who consumed
alcohol at risky levels.
While longer term health damage was of
increasing concern to society, the police's
priorities were dealing with immediate
consequences – the violence surrounding
intoxication, particularly where underage
drinkers were involved.
From incidents of assault and injury, to
drink driving, to the effect incidents had on
the public's perceptions of an area, police
were key stakeholders and often the first line
of response. Much of their core business
stemmed from alcohol – whether a personal
attack, an act of vandalism, or an accident.
The Queensland Police Service had
become actively engaged in harm reduction,
through developing a proactive approach to
dealing with alcohol abuse, said Ms Mann.
This approach involved co-ordinating all
areas of their work – legislation, policy and
enforcement, as well as building partner-
ships between the health and law
enforcement sectors, and liquor licensing
and local government, licensees and the
security industry.
'A successful partnership depends on
early identification of who needs to be
involved,' she pointed out. Agreement of
goals, strategies and outcomes had been
key to making sure all parties participated in
the national alcohol and drug policy's three
strands of supply reduction, demand
reduction and harm reduction.
In practice, it had paved the way for
initiatives such as Accords – agreed written
codes of conduct – between licensees and
other key stakeholders in defined areas. It
had also assisted police in implementing the
State-wide Safety Action Plan to boost
safety in and around pubs and clubs by
limiting drink promotions and competitions,
enhancing security with closed-circuit
televisions and crowd controllers, and
making sure all serving staff were given
training on responsible serving.
The police service's response to alcohol-
related harms had been driven by national
and state policies and the 'whole-of-
government approach' to alcohol and drug
strategy, which had been helpful because
'sound policy facilitates good practice', said
Ms Mann.
From a sound policy framework, which
had been developed through consultation,
she believed there now needed to be some
tough talking on the inevitable conflicts of
interest among stakeholders. Evidence
pointed to the harm reduction that limiting
alcohol availability would have – but a
government that enjoyed the alcohol
industry's significant contribution to the
economy was willing to ignore that.
'It's a conundrum for governments who
have to balance the positive financial gains
with the economic costs to the community in
lost productivity, road accidents, crime and the
severe strain on already-stretched public
health resources,' said Ms Mann. While police
were allocating considerable effort and
resources to reducing alcohol-related harms,
'clearly more work needs to be done to
achieve a more significant and more sustained
impact across the board,' she said.
'It's a conundrum for governments who have to
balance the positive financial gains with the
economic costs to the community in lost
productivity, road accidents, crime and the
severe strain on already-stretched... resources.'
Wednesday 14 May 2008 – DAY FOUR –
Daily Update
– 7
Australian police arrest drunken culture
The conference party has become a key part of the IHRA
events and is a great opportunity to meet new people,
network and relax. The venue for the 2008 party is the
‘Razzmatazz’ club – one of Barcelona’s premier venues. The
party will feature live music, areas to unwind and network, a
range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and a varied
light buffet (including vegetarian options).
Delegates are reminded that this is not a ‘dinner’, and we
suggest that you arrange to eat before the party. Delegates
are also asked to make their own way to the venue, which is
located near to the ‘Marina’Metro station on ‘Line One (the
red line) and is easily accessible.
Delegates must bring their conference badges
in order to gain entry to the party.
Buses will be provided between 23:00 and 00:30 from just
outside of the club to four main drop-off points in
Barcelona. For more information, please pick up a leaflet
available throughout the day (in the plenary session and on
the main desks on Level 0).
Party Time!