Lifetime pub bans to cut alcohol-related violence

DRUNKEN louts face the potential of life bans at all of Hobart's pubs and clubs if they are caught doing the wrong thing, under a radical new plan to clean up the popular waterfront entertainment precinct.

The new scheme, being considered by Hobart's licensees, may also consider scanning licences or passports and taking photos of pubgoers to try to combat drunken behaviour in what is being dubbed a publicans' version of Neighbourhood Watch, The Mercury reports.

Fed up with drunken violence, Hobart's licensees are looking at the Pubwatch scheme which has been in place in the UK for more than a decade, and operates in parts of Victoria and more recently Western Australia.

The telephone or internet-based system enables pubs and clubs to register the name and identity of a person kicked out of their venue for anti-social or drunken behaviour. Instead of that person being able to continue onto the next venue as can happen now, all of the area's drinking holes will be alerted and entry denied.

A chain of Hobart pubs and nightclubs has had a similar system in place for 18 months and says it has had a significant impact on cutting down violence.

Ian Vaughan, general manager of Proller, The Observatory, the Telegraph Hotel and Cargo, said a list of people either banned for life or for a pre-determined period had helped its venues get on top of a culture of violence that he says he has never witnessed before.

"These young people just have no respect for anything, they see there is no consequence for their actions, they just don't care, and I just don't know what they are thinking," Mr Vaughan said.

"We got our list set up and I have to say it has had a significant impact."

The list is updated on a weekly basis and distributed to bar staff and security at all the venues.

"Once we get rid of one troublemaker from one of our venues they are gone from all four that also gets rid of his or her 10 mates," Mr Vaughan said.

The system imposes a life ban on serial offenders or punters committing an assault on the premises.

Australian Hotels Association membership manager Anthony McConnon said publicans were sick and tired of anti-social behaviour threatening the safety of their staff and patrons. He said it was time to get tough on drunken violence.

"We need to start getting serious about these issues and this is one way that we see of making that difference," he said.

"We now need to try and get other pubs on board to get this happening."

Email a friend about this article

Add your comments to this article

All comments are fully moderated - offensive and unsuitable material will be deleted.