Watching your every move
GEELONG police are tracking revellers who use the city streets as urinals and sex dens.
They are using CCTV to spot illegal behaviour, and are then able to track the offender back to a nightclub, where their details can be gained from ID scanners.
And new data shows the tactic is working, with the number of fines issued in the past year jumping by more than 80 per cent.
Acting Senior Sergeant Aaron Riches said the Liquor Licensing Unit was committed to ridding the streets of unlawful and unsavoury behaviour at night.
“CCTV shouldn’t be underestimated. Our officers spend hours trawling through footage for public order offending on Mondays and Tuesdays long after the person has urinated or defecated in the street, has had sex in a laneway or bashed someone,” he said.
“We follow them back to the venue they came from, get the ID images of when they entered and go knocking on their door during the week and say ‘ here’s your penalty notice’.
“We will also act on riotous behaviour penalty notices if we see a punch or two has been thrown but no one injured, and despite no one wanting anything done, bad luck.” Data prepared for the Gee
long Advertiser shows the number of assaults in streets or lanes or on footpaths has dropped 20.6 per cent between 2012-13 and 2013-14 and 29.2 per cent inside licensed premises.
But, despite the drop in assaults, there were reports of rape, 104 reported thefts, nine people arrested for possessing a weapon, 10 people charged with drug-related offences and 12 incidents of property damage in licensed premises during the past financial year.
Fi Fines f for poor bh behaviouri i in public rose 16.6 per cent in 2012-13 and 80.5 per cent in 2013-14.
Sen-Sgt Riches said those numbers were of concern for police.
“There’s still room for improvement. People are heeding the messages and we’re really seeing venues being proactive, which is kudos to all the stakeholders involved,” he said.
“The whole culture of Geelong has changed with work being done around underage offenders.
“When I started in the divisional licensing unit in January 2014, in the first six months (we were) processing about 12 underage offenders in the CBD a week. They were all (given) conferences with their parents and referred for addictions and binge drinking and I can say in 2014 we probably only had two underage people in venues in that year.
“The feeling of safety has increased and drunken arrests are down about 25 per cent on last year.”
Patron ID scanners were rolled out in Geelong nightclubs in 2007. An increase in CCTV cameras soon followed. There are now 40 cameras as part of a $500,000 security system. The cameras will be watched throughout the week by uniformed police.
Nightlife Association president and hotelier Darren Holroyd said pub and club owners supported the increase in fines.