General Secretary's - Queensland Police Union

28 • Over The Limit Queensland Police Union Journal Apr 10
Photo by Rob McColl
a cab. Many opt to fight or resist police. One woman who had
been evicted from a nightclub for fighting rejected two
attempts by police to help her into her a cab at both ends of the
Brunswick St Mall.
At 1.55am, Constables Jenna Bonney and Jess Lunt arrest a man
ejected from a nightclub for fighting. Initially given a choice to
leave the Brunswick St Mall, he refuses and becomes aggressive
with the officers. He spends the remainder of his 21st birthday
celebrations in the watchhouse.
The CCTV cameras being monitored inside the mall post, paint
a grim picture of public behavior under the influence of alcohol
and drugs.
One Fortitude Valley police officer who has been stationed in the
area for several years said one of the problems fuelling the
violence was people arriving in the area already drunk and
spending the next few hours getting more so.
“Most people arrive half drunk, some to the point where they
shouldn’t be served”.
“There is definitely a loss of respect for police, now when we ask
someone to do something, they say, ‘fuck off, you can’t tell me
what to do’,’’ an officer said.
After 3am, problems start to rise as police are kept busy with
people left on the street by the lockout, and then again at 5am
when heavily intoxicated patrons pour out of the nightclubs.
At 3.20am, Sgt Howe is granted permission to keep two officers
on overtime as they respond to a number of assaults and
disturbances. One crew finds a man urinating on a shop front.
When they arrest him, his friend interferes and is arrested too.
Officers are called to Brunswick St where there are reports of a
fight involving a knife. Minutes later they respond to an assault
in the Chinatown Mall.
Two bouncers bloodied and with ripped shirts arrive at the mall
post. They tell police about a patron who attacked them when he
was removed from a nightclub.
An officer who has worked in the Valley for several years said a
1am lockout would be a step towards reducing the
alcohol-related problems.
“The longer they can drink, the worse it becomes. The use of
party drugs has become more widespread with the increase of
trading hours over the years,’’ the officer said.
The Journal’s night out came a week after a Queensland
parliamentary committee into alcohol-fuelled violence released
its report with 68 recommendations on how to tackle the
problem.
Queensland Parliament’s Law, Justice and Safety Committee
recommended pubs and clubs in entertainment precincts to
be allowed to trade no later than 2am on weekdays and 4am
on weekends. The committee also called for the existing 3am
lock-out to be pushed forward to 2am, and recommended courts
should be given the power to ban repeat violent offenders from
visiting certain areas.
The QPUE, which spearheaded a comprehensive submission to
the inquiry, supported by paramedics, the Brisbane Lord Mayor
and the Royal College of Surgeons, backed the new proposed
trading hours, and called for greater police numbers to tackle the
violent crime in entertainment precincts.
“There is no doubt we would have preferred even earlier closing
times, however, what is proposed should be a big improvement
on the ridiculous situation we currently have”.
“For nightclub hot-spots such as Surfers Paradise and Fortitude
Valley it will effectively mean a 17-hour reduction in trading
hours per week for the bigger venues,“ QPUE General President
Ian Leavers said.