Police blast booze brawls

"There is drug use but alcohol is the main offender," he said.

With more licensed venues now located in close proximity, drunkenness was more concentrated.

"There is a higher degree of intoxication in the street and this is where the offences of violence are occurring," Insp Scott said.

With tighter control over the consumption and sale of alcohol, violence could be curbed, he said.

"We still have the over-consumption of alcohol within licensed premises and people who consume alcohol in other locations and then come into the city," Insp Scott said.

He also said venues with stand-up drinking or discount drinks had more trouble.

Southern Region Ambulance supervisor Tim Rider said crews attended incidents outside Syrup and Isobar but could not provide details.


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Alcohol Sales Could Change Under Proposal

The appeal process does not apply to establishments located within 100 feet of a church, school or playground, and alcohol would be for carry-out only.

If passed, the new law may benefit convenience/gas stations located in unincorporated areas of St. Louis County which currently are unable to sell alcohol because of a location within 300 feet of a church, school or park.

The St. Louis County Council is expected to take up the bill at its next meeting on Tuesday, June 3, beginning at 6 p.m.

County Council Member John Campisi, R-South County, opposes the bill, and predicts a large turnout of citizens at Tuesday's meeting to speak against any changes to the current law regulating alcohol sales.

"The current law has been in place for a long time, and was put in place to keep liquor out of the hands of kids.

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7 workers arrested in selling alcohol to minor

Ten businesses refused to sell alcohol to the minor.

Moravec said the following employees were cited for furnishing alcohol to a minor and released on their written promise to appear in court:

Jasmina VanDerbeck, 29, at Browning Street Chevron, 1120 Churn Creek Road.

Terry Weatherford, 65, at B-T's By the Way Bar, 610 Market St.

Kylie Song, 22, at New China Restaurant, 3669 Eureka Way.

Teresa Spenser, 44, at Senor Rosa's Restaurant, 2056 Eureka Way.

Tawn LaBarbera, 27, at Vintner's Cellar, 1700 California St.

Donald Carnagey, 60, at Shasta Street Valero, 1220 Shasta St.

Mandy Bal, 49, at Parkview Market, 843 Parkview Ave.

The cases also will be submitted to the Shasta County District Attorney's Office for prosecution and to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for administrative review.

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Alcohol related crime; alarm bells ringing

Since the tragic death of Matt Sharp in December, 2006, as a result of an alcohol-related attack, LINC has been monitoring news items of reported incidents of violence in public places and has been disturbed by the number of events and the severity of many incidents.

A spokesman said that not all incidents of anti-social behaviour or unlawful events are reported to police and discussions highlighted the need for people to report incidents and alert law authorities to the real situation in their community.

Lithgow City Council is working hard toward its Crime Prevention Plan and is holding community consultations through June.

These meetings will give local people the opportunity to discuss their safety concerns and contribute ideas for creating a more peaceful community.

As suggested by the Australian Institute of Criminology, Crime prevention is not just the responsibility of police and not just the responsibility of government agencies.

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