Safety action projects

Contact name: 
Ross Homel
Position: 
Professor
Organization: 
Griffith University
Telephone: 
+61 (0)7 3735 6996
Address: 
Mt Gravatt campus, Griffith University, 176 Messines Ridge Road, Mt Gravatt, Queensland 4122, Australia
Fax: 
+61 (0)7 3735 6985

Abstract

Background

Community-based safety action projects: the change model is based on prior experience with community interventions, the theory of situational crime prevention, and the theory of responsive regulation.

Objectives

To reduce violence in and around licensed venues.

Characteristics

These include:

  • Understanding the local economy, nighttime economy, industry cimate and regulatory systems;
  • Developing local partnerships oriented to evidence;
  • Incorporating Safer Bars training and risk assessments universally
  • Experimenting with targeted enforcement using Last Drinks data
  • Building community coalitions/action groups suitable to local conditions
  • Building sustainability mechanisms in from the outset.
Evaluation

A study in 1998 (observations) showed a reduction in aggressive and violent incidents and a decline in physical assaults but conclusions concerning direct causality cannot be drawn.

A new study starts in 2010.

Conclusion

The last study could not report about causalities, but the new study will have more information and results on the effectiveness of this program.

Intervention details

Problem addressed
Alcohol, Violence, Aggression
Intervention setting
Bar
Club/ disco/ afters
Community
Target population

Visitors of bars etc

Substances adressed
Alcohol
Strategic target group (social agents acting as intermediaries between intervention and target group)

Staff training, police, community

Intervention activities
Research
Nightlife management
Actions
These include:Understanding the local economy, nighttime economy, industry cimate and regulatory systems;Developing local partnerships oriented to evidence;Incorporating Safer Bars training and risk assessments universally;Experimenting with targeted enforcement using Last Drinks data;Building community coalitions/action groups suitable to local conditions;Building sustainability mechanisms in from the outset.
Theory/evidence behind the intervention

The project builds on the work of Graham & Homel (2008). The safer bars program has been positively evaluated. For police enforcement, there have been a small number of succesful interventions, but by data triangulation there should be stronger evidence of the problems.For community action, the evidence is from the STAD-project.Theory and practice of situational crime prevention, regulatory theory.

Evaluation details

Evaluation type (e.g. process, outcome, cost-effectiveness)
Outcome evaluation
Activities evaluated

These were:

  • Incorporating Safer Bars training and risk assessments universally;
  • Experimenting with targeted enforcement using Last Drinks data;
  • Building community coalitions/action groups suitable to local conditions.
Type of evaluator (e.g. external consultant, internal evaluator)
Internal evaluator
Evaluation results (Outcome evaluation)

In 1998: we observed a reduction in aggressive and violent incidents between 1994-1996 and a decline in physical assaults.

A new study starts in 2010.

Evaluation references

McILwain, G., & Homel, R. (2009). Sustaining a reduction of alcohol-related harms in the licensed enverinment: a practical experiment to generate new evidence. Brisbane: Griffith University.

First projects: Hauritz, M et al (1998). Reducing violence in licensed venues through community safety action projects: the Queensland experience. Contemporary Drug Problems, 25 (fall), 511-551.

An abstract for this journal article can be found in the HNT literature section here.

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