The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Background Safe Spaces are a harm reduction approach commonly utilised in nightlife and festival ... more Background Safe Spaces are a harm reduction approach commonly utilised in nightlife and festival settings to address alcohol and other drug-related harms. Despite increasing use, there has been little independent evaluation of safe space programs. This study aimed to explore (1) program user satisfaction with and use of a safe space program implemented in Sydney, Australia (The Take Kare Safe Space (TKSS)), and (2) the strengths and weaknesses of TKSS from the perspective of key stakeholders. Methods Semi-structured, in-depth, interviews lasting between 30 min to 1 h were conducted with 38 key program stakeholders, including staff from police (n = 4), ambulance (n = 4), a local hospital accident and emergency room (n = 4), local council (n = 2), city ‘rangers’ (n = 2), the TKSS program (n = 4), licensed venues and other nightlife service providers (n = 4), and program users (n = 14). Purposive sampling was used to identify key stakeholders to participate in interviews. Results Stake...
Purpose Developing policies to curb public alcohol consumption is a priority for governments. In ... more Purpose Developing policies to curb public alcohol consumption is a priority for governments. In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), local governments have introduced alcohol-free zones (AFZs) and alcohol-prohibited areas (APAs) to prohibit the public consumption of alcohol and reduce crime stemming from intoxication. Previous studies, however, argue that these policies are driven by stakeholder desire rather than alcohol-related crime and may result in increased criminal justice contact for vulnerable populations. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the number of AFZs and APAs in NSW and examine the extent to which these policies are connected to the frequency of alcohol-related crime. Design/methodology/approach Examining the 152 local government areas (LGAs) of NSW, the authors analysed whether the implementation of AFZs and APAs were linked to the frequency of liquor offences and assaults using group-based trajectory models. Findings The authors found that AFZs a...
The night-time economy is a space of significant anxiety and concern. Recent high-profile inciden... more The night-time economy is a space of significant anxiety and concern. Recent high-profile incidents of alcohol-related violence in Sydney, Australia, have exacerbated community fears about the risks associated with the city after dark and placed the regulation and policing of nightlife in the media spotlight. This article is based on a content analysis of newspaper representations of Sydney's night-time economy and the policing and security of nightlife settings from 1996 to 2012. It argues that public police and private security are portrayed in contrasting ways. Print media reflects public ambivalence and insecurity by representing the private security industry as unruly and violent, and with links to criminality. In contrast, media portrayals of New South Wales Police reflect the conscious efforts of an increasingly media-aware police organisation to protect its public image and reinforce its occupational legitimacy.
Since colonial times, night-time leisure and drinking have been major and contradictory sources o... more Since colonial times, night-time leisure and drinking have been major and contradictory sources of official and legal concern in Sydney. This thesis focuses on the historical and social conditions, cultural meanings and regulatory controls that have shaped both public and private forms of policing in Sydney’s night-time economy (NTE). In so doing, it reflects more broadly on changes in the nature of contemporary ‘policing’ and how aspects of neoliberalism and the ideal of the ‘24-hour city’ have shaped policing, security and night-time leisure. This research also analyses the effectiveness of policies and regulations governing policing and private security in the NTE in the context of media, political and public debates about regulation, and the gendered and highly masculine aspects of much of this work. The primary empirical basis of this thesis is a study of nightlife comprising observational fieldwork and in-depth semi-structured interviews. This research focuses on four specific...
The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 2013
Miller, P., Pennay, A., Jenkinson, R., Droste, N., Chikritzhs, T., Tomsen, S., Wadds, P., Jones, ... more Miller, P., Pennay, A., Jenkinson, R., Droste, N., Chikritzhs, T., Tomsen, S., Wadds, P., Jones, S. C., Palmer, D., Barrie, L. & Lubman, D. I. (2013). Patron offending and intoxication in night-time entertainment districts (POINTED): A study protocol. International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 2(1), 69-76. doi: 10.7895/ijadr.v2i1.74 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v2i1.74)Risky alcohol consumption is the subject of considerable community concern in Australia and internationally, particularly the risky drinking practices of young people consuming alcohol in the night-time economy. This study will determine some of the factors and correlates associated with alcohol-related risk-taking, offending and harm in and around licensed venues and night-time entertainment precincts across five Australian cities (three metropolitan and two regional). The primary aim of the study is to measure levels of pre-drinking, drinking in venues, intoxication, illicit drug use and potentially h...
This book is a collection of first-person narratives that explore the physical, emotional, and ps... more This book is a collection of first-person narratives that explore the physical, emotional, and psychological manifestations, and consequences, of risk and fieldwork; where risk and fieldwork are variably embodied, experienced, and conceived
To finish this collection, we want to pull back the curtain on this whole process, the journey of... more To finish this collection, we want to pull back the curtain on this whole process, the journey of this book. We want to tell you what we have learnt in producing this book about ‘risk’ in the social sciences. The chapters are there for all of us to access as we see fit, to filter through our own realities, and to mine for wisdoms that are relevant to our research and work. And so, here, we want to talk about what happened ‘behind the scenes’; the chats before and after the interviews, the frantic emails in post-production concerning redaction of sensitive information, and the many discussions of ethics, all of which arose around the book’s creation
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 2018
Contemporary debates regarding criminal justice, law and order, and also the occupational conscio... more Contemporary debates regarding criminal justice, law and order, and also the occupational consciousness of policing itself, are often concerned with a mythical period of heightened ‘respect’ for authority that is contrasted with the decline of such respect in contemporary work patterns and interaction with the public. This nostalgia features most prominently in discussions about spaces and work practices where officers feel threatened, challenged or ‘under-siege’. One such site is the night-time economy, where expansion of drinking-based leisure and a long-term liberalisation of regulatory controls have exerted more pressure on police and produced urban spaces where this ‘lack of respect’ is keenly felt. This paper analyses themes that emerged from 15 interviews conducted with current and former members of the New South Wales Police Force to argue that the emergence and growth of urban nightlife have played a key role in promoting a nostalgic discourse that reflects ambivalence abou...
Despite continued health concerns associated with the practice of consuming alcohol mixed with en... more Despite continued health concerns associated with the practice of consuming alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED), few Australian studies have examined the popularity of this combination or attempted to characterise AmED consumers. The purpose of this paper is to replicate two previously used survey approaches to consolidate a national picture of AmED consumption in Australia. The survey approaches used were: an online survey with a convenience sample of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, residents (n = 1931; 63.7% female; median age 23.0 years); and street intercept surveys in regional and metropolitan entertainment precincts in NSW (n = 1265; 58.2% male; median age 21.0 years). Analyses explored the rates and frequency of AmED use across both samples, and the sociodemographic and substance use predictors of AmED consumption in the past 12 months. More than 90% of participants in both samples reported alcohol consumption in the past 12 months, with approximately 40% of current dri...
A comparative study of blood alcohol concentrations in Australian night-time entertainment districts
Drug and Alcohol Review, 2014
There is little research describing how intoxication levels change throughout the night in entert... more There is little research describing how intoxication levels change throughout the night in entertainment districts. This research aims to describe levels of alcohol intoxication across multiple Australian metropolitan and regional nightlife districts. This study was conducted in the night-time entertainment districts of three metropolitan cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Perth) and two regional cities (Wollongong and Geelong) in Australia. Data collection occurred approximately fortnightly in each city on a Friday or Saturday night between 8 pm and 5 am. Brief structured interviews (3-10 min) and breathalyser tests were undertaken in busy thoroughfares over six months. Of the 7037 individuals approached to participate in the study, 6998 [61.8% male, mean age 24.89 years (standard deviation 6.37; range 18-73)] agreed to be interviewed. There was a linear increase in blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels throughout the night. Post hoc testing revealed significantly more highly intoxicated participants (i.e. BAC above 0.10 mg of alcohol per 100 mL of blood) after midnight (P < 0.05). The overall mean BAC was 0.06 mg/100 mL. Men were more intoxicated than women earlier in the night, but gender differences disappeared by 3 am. There was no age differences in intoxication earlier in the night, but after midnight, patrons over the age of 21 showed increasing BAC levels. There is a consistent trend across the cities of high to very high levels of intoxication later in the night, with trends after midnight being significantly different to those before.
Safety, sexual harassment and assault at Australian music festivals: final report
Despite increasing anecdotal evidence that sexual violence occurs at music festivals, to date no ... more Despite increasing anecdotal evidence that sexual violence occurs at music festivals, to date no research has addressed this issue. This pilot project aimed to establish a research base in this area by investigating patron experiences and perceptions of sexual assault, harassment and safety at music festivals in Australia
Energy drinks and energy ‘shots’ have become increasingly popular in recent years. Many people co... more Energy drinks and energy ‘shots’ have become increasingly popular in recent years. Many people consume them with the belief that the beverage will assist in endurance, concentration and stamina. To better understand any potential for harm when young people drink alcohol and energy drinks together, NSW Health commissioned independent research. The Turning Point Drug and Alcohol Centre in Victoria led a research consortium which comprised Australia’s top researchers. The research study included: an online survey of 16-35 year olds in NSW to determine how common consumption of combined alcohol and energy drink is, target group most affected, characteristics of use and harms of use a street intercept face-to-face survey of 16-35 year olds in NSW conducted at night times in several Sydney metropolitan sites and Orange and Newcastle a lab-based experiment to test the effects of combining alcohol and energy drinks on the body, coordination and risk-taking behaviour. The outcome was a...
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