NSW pub brawl hot spots: Sydney, Central Coast, Newcastle top list in police data

Suburbs with the highest number of pub brawls have been revealed – while the latest list of pubs and clubs where patrons are behaving badly have been named and shamed.

The state’s pub brawl hot spots have been revealed – with NSW Police data confirming 4439 reports of licensed premises assaults in the past 12 months alone.

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data revealed that City of Sydney has the highest reported number of pub assaults with 827 cases, followed by Central Coast with 228, Newcastle with 207 incidents and Wollongong with 144 cases reported.

Penrith was next on the list with 111 reports, followed by Randwick with 94 reported incidents. Parramatta saw 90 reports, with the Northern Beaches following with 84 incidents reported.

The top 10 list of local government areas was rounded out with Waverley reporting 84 incidents, and Blacktown with 81 reports.

Communities with the highest number of pub assaults have been revealed.

In the past 25 years, 2007 saw the most cases with 7177 reports.

The NSW Liquor and Gaming ‘Violent Venues’ list, which named and shamed NSW violent premises, has been slashed and replaced with the ‘Incentives and Demerit point system’.

The latest list on the demerit points register revealed three main venues that ‘permitted’ indecency, violence or quarrelsome.

The Metropolitan Hotel in Orange received one demerit point in February 2023, followed by Balmain’s Cat and Fiddle Hotel which received a point in November 2022.

The Lord Gladstone Hotel in Chippendale also made the register after permitting an indecent act in August, 2021.

Despite receiving a demerit point for indecency, rather than violence, operators of The Lord Gladstone Hotel believe staying committed to creating a safe and welcoming space prevents pub brawls and assaults.

Ben Johnson, owner of the Lord Gladstone Hotel, said his premises has been able to avoid pub violence. Picture: NCA NewsWire/James Gourley

“It’s hard to wanna punch on when you’re having the best time,” Ben Johnson, co-owner of the pub said.

“Thankfully the pub attracts a pretty chill – for lack of a better term – crowd on a weekly basis, mainly made of young inner city, inner west and inner east creatives and their friends.

“If there is ever an incident that begins brewing, we train our staff to be able to identify potential quarrelsome behaviour and report immediately.”

The co-owner said The Lord Gladstone has been able to avoid incidents of violence.

The new system aims to better reduce serious alcohol-related violence and repeated noncompliance with NSW liquor laws.

Demerit points occur when a licensee or approved manager commits a serious offence or fails to provide a safe environment for patrons.

A 5 per cent discount on a base licence fee and trading hours risk loading will be rewarded to venues who comply and do not incur demerit points over 3 years.

A 10 per cent discount is applied if no demerit points are incurred over five years.