Port Phillip Council votes to make street booze ban permanent
Boozers, be gone. A 24-hour street boozing ban in Port Phillip, brought in amid a wave of alcohol-fuelled violence, isn’t going anywhere. It’s led to a dip in crime and pushed the council to make it permanent.
Inner South
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UPDATE: Public boozing has been permanently banned from streets and roads in Port Phillip.
It comes after data from a controversial two-year trial prohibition showed alcohol-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour had dropped in the area.
The trial was introduced after more than 800 people signed a petition calling for tougher restrictions on public alcohol consumption, with people “too scared” to visit shopping strips in areas including Carlisle and Acland streets.
Crime statistics reveal alcohol-related assaults have dropped by 18 per cent across Port Phillip since the ban was introduced.
Complaints to the council about anti-social behaviour and rubbish have also decreased during the same period.
Superintendent Tony Silva told last night’s council meeting he feared crime would rise again if the ban wasn’t continued.
Petitioner Igor Vainer, who has worked run Vainer Optical in Balaclava for the past 30 years, this week told the Leader the data proved the trial had worked.
“There will always be some issues — you can’t take the St Kilda away from St Kilda — but overall the two-year trial has been a success,” he said.
“We have a council that believes in an idealistic world but we live in the realistic world and unfortunately that means that sometimes you’ve got to be cruel to be kind.
“Ultimately, this ban is for the greater good and hopefully council make it a permanent law because it’s up to them to help keep the community safe.”
Rosie Vainer said before the ban she was calling police up to four times a day and had “seen more bashings than I can count”.
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“I’ve been spat on, verbally abused and even threatened in my own workplace because I refused to hand over cash or buy alcohol on their behalf,” she said.
But Mrs Vainer said the trial ban had helped restore calm to the strip.
“It’ such a delight to look out and see families and the elderly gathering on the benches that were previously occupied by drunks,” she said.
The trial ban was the subject of heated debate, which ended a deadlock between councillors, with some raising concerns it would unfairly target people doing it tough.
But feedback from frontline support workers, including Launch Housing, Alfred Homeless Outreach Psychiatric Service, Sacred Heart Mission and Justice Connect confirmed there had been no negative impact on vulnerable people as a result of the ban.
Cr Andrew Bond told last night’s meeting it was clear the ban had improved the areas of St Kilda and Balaclava particularly.
“It’s hard to argue that reversing these (bans) would be a good outcome,” he said.
But Cr Katherine Copsey said the while she was pleased there had been such a “startling reduction in crime”, she was concerned the council had opted for a punitive approach to a social issue.
During the trial, police opted for a ‘tip-out’ approach, with fines only issued to people who did not comply.
Only 58 infringement notices were dished out during the trial period, with only 13 of those issued to people who lived in the Port Phillip area.
An officer’s report noted the trial data was “consistent with nine out of 12 international and local evaluation studies” which looked at perception of safety, amenity and crime in regards to public alcohol bans.
Councillors last night voted to make the street drinking ban permanent with only Crs Copsey, Tim Baxter and Ogy Simic against the move.
Meanwhile, booze is also banned along St Kilda’s foreshore between November 1 and March 31 each year.
The ban was introduced last year, just days after up to 100 youths were involved in a violent alcohol-fuelled brawl.
It also followed a massive out-of-control party on Christmas Day in 2017 which saw thousands of drunk revellers trash the beach and left ratepayers with a $23,000 clean-up bill.