SA Police launch Operation City Safe Hindley St crackdown as hundreds removed from public precinct

MORE than 240 people have been moved, and a further 16 barred, from the Hindley St area since it was declared a public precinct.

• Police handed new powers of public precinct Hindley St
• Manslaughter charge after deadly Hindley St brawl
• Police officer punched in city night fight
• One way plan to revive Hindley St party strip

MORE than 240 people have been moved, and a further 16 barred, from the Hindley St area since it was declared a public precinct as police launched a safety operation during the festive season.

Operation City Safe will see extra patrols dispatched to the city’s entertainment precincts from this weekend until the end of March.

Mounted police, drug detection dogs, bicycle patrols will join officers in reducing alcohol and drug related crime, violence and anti-social behaviour and drink driving in the Adelaide CBD.

The focus include the Hindley St area, North Tce, the East End, Hutt St and the Gouger St area.

This follows stronger powers, such as removing minors and conducting metal detector searches, given to police around the city’s north west district to deal with troublemakers.

Last week, Jack Hanley, 22, died after an early morning brawl on the intersection of Hindley St and Morphett St.

Jack Hanley, 22, of Glandore, died after a brawl broke out between about 15 people on Hindley St in the early hours of Sunday morning. Pic Facebook

Over the last five weekends, 241 people and 12 minors were removed from the city’s first public precinct — parts of North Terrace, West Terrace, Currie St, King William St and Hindley St — for troublesome behaviour.

Sixteen people were barred from the precinct for 72 hours, three months or more.

There were 21 people given infringement notices and 87 metal detector searches.

Assistant Commissioner Paul Dickson said while the public precinct powers had only been in place for eight working days — on Fridays and Saturdays — it had been effective at deterring crime.

“What I’m encouraging people to do is work with us, we are only part of resolving the problem of public safety,” he said.

“Often people become intoxicated, they end up waking up in a police cell, doing things they’d never done if they had not consumed as much alcohol as they had.

“It’s about planning and doing the right thing for your own protection and public safety.”

Over the festive period, up to 40 patrols will be on the city streets but more could be added around New Year’s Eve celebrations and at cricket events.

Police Minister Chris Picton said a strong police presence, late night code operation and liquor licensing laws, the city CCTV camera network, as well as extra powers given to police had helped keep the city safe.

“We have seen those powers being used in the past five weeks and certainly they’ll be stepping up under this operation,” he said.

“However I must reinforce that the very strong message here is for every person to take responsibility for their own safety, avoid getting into violent or physically confronting situations and drink responsibly.

“We will do as much as we can to prevent and respond to violent incidents but ultimately it is up to individuals to make positive choices.”

City of Adelaide Lord Mayor Martin Haese reiterated that Adelaide is a safe city.

“In the larger scheme of things a number of incidents that we have in the city of Adelaide are quite low, (that) doesn’t mean we can be complacent,” he said.