Drink Safe Precintcs to protect partygoers from drug-fuelled violence

A MAJOR overhaul of Queensland's drinking culture will be spearheaded by a massive police blitz on new designated pub and club zones across the state.

A MAJOR overhaul of Queensland's drinking culture will be spearheaded by a massive police blitz on new designated pub and club zones across the state.

The Bligh Government's response to the year-long inquiry into alcohol-fuelled violence will also allow police to exclude troublemakers from so-called Drink Safe Precincts, where partygoers will enjoy new special safe zones.

Pubs and clubs will be forced to offer free drinking water to patrons, while the proliferation of controversial ID scanners at licensed venues has also won formal support.

But the Government has decided not to implement controversial recommendations by a parliamentary committee to change the lockout  currently 3am  or wind back trading hours for licensed venues and bottleshops (now 7am-midnight).

Police numbers will be increased during peak periods from 143 to 199 officers in the three initial designated party precincts in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, the Gold Coast and Townsville, after the success of similar crackdowns last summer.

The bar industry will be forced to cover at least some of the $4.2 million annual bill to implement the plan after taxpayers fund the first 12 months.

Premier Anna Bligh yesterday said the first three pilot zones would be run like major sporting events with co-ordinated policing, public transport and security from December this year. The new safe zones will be established for people who have had too much to drink, are experiencing harassment, violence or need to take a break.

``We want Queenslanders to be able to go to entertainment areas in their city and enjoy a night out in as much safety as possible, but with as little interference as possible,'' the Premier told The Sunday Mail.

``(We have) approved funding for the first 12 months, but after this period an agreement will be reached with industry stakeholders so they can shoulder some of the cost along with the Queensland taxpayer.''

Local committees  consisting of licensees, police officers, ambulance officers, transport providers and other stakeholders in each precinct  will be established in September to prepare and monitor the measures.

The formal Government response, expected to be tabled in full in State Parliament tomorrow, comes after a Law, Justice and Safety Committee report earlier this year outlining 68 recommendations. The committee had called for weekday closing times for pubs and clubs to be wound back to 2am in entertainment precincts and 1am elsewhere. Weekend closing times would have been 4am in entertainment zones and 3am elsewhere.

All venues would have also had a 2am lockout. Bottleshop trading hours would have been 10am-9pm.

Fair Trading Minister Peter Lawlor said that tomorrow the Government would show a ``positive response'' to 58 of the committee's 68 recommendations.

But Mr Lawlor confirmed the controversial lockout or trading hours would not be tinkered with, to provide certainty to businesses and give the new measures time to work.

The increase in police was guided by Operation Merit in Fortitude Valley last Christmas, when an extra 16,000 police patrols resulted in an extra 1800 people charged with alcohol-related offences.

``(Operation Merit) was considered a success by both police and licensees and it has been used as a model for deciding what sort of police presence is needed in these new precincts," Mr Lawlor said.

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