How a licensed venue can work with community to prevent alcohol-related harm?

A huge part of Licensee Training is learning about strategies and techniques to help prevent alcohol-related harm. Working with the community can be a powerful tool in helping your venue thrive.

Creating a safer environment not only lessens the risk of legal, health, and social concerns but may also improve the reputation of your business. If increased safety is assured, customers will want to spend more time at the premises, which means greater community confidence, more regular patrons, and a thriving business.

In Licensee Training and Advanced Licensee Training, you will learn about other techniques and strategies to help prevent alcohol-related harm but in this article, we are focusing on just one: working with the community.

Build relationships with police, council and your community

Your venue and the local community are all affected by issues in the local area and working together can help you tackle these issues in a more effective way.

There are numerous groups you can work with including:

• Police – they can assist when an incident occurs or provide helpful information on how you can remain compliant and on trends and issues in the area.

• local council – who can connect you with local neighbourhood groups, assist in the development of local community initiatives, and provide resources to support your business.

• neighbours – keeping them informed of any upcoming events and inviting them to provide you with their feedback can build your reputation in the neighbourhood.

• other licensed premises and businesses in your area – who can collaborate with you by sharing operational tips, assets, resources, and even staff during periodic fluctuations, increasing the integrity of the wider business community; a good way to meet other licensed premises in your area is by joining your local liquor accord.

Liquor accords

A liquor accord is a voluntary, industry-based partnership reached between local stakeholders who are committed to minimising harm associated with alcohol abuse, including improving safety and reducing alcohol-related violence and antisocial behaviour.

Liquor accords are underpinned by the responsible serving principles of the liquor laws and provide another means, beyond regulatory measures, of addressing alcohol-related issues in a community. They reach agreements on ways to improve the operation and safety of licensed premises. Liquor accords include representatives of licensed premises, as well as local councils, police, government departments and other community organisations.

They are one of the best ways for your venue to improve compliance and reduce harm.

An accord addresses issues facing the industry and community as a collective. The members of an accord will make decisions in cooperation with stakeholders in their local area and develop strategies to create positive changes.

Each liquor accord is unique and tailored to address issues specific to the local area. A liquor accord provides its stakeholders with a forum to discuss their views, concerns and expectations and works towards solutions. Some of the benefits of a liquor accord are:

• reduced antisocial behaviour in and around licensed premises in your community.

• reduced crime and alcohol-related violence.

• reduced underage drinking.

• reduced alcohol-related road trauma.

• increased staff awareness and practice of responsible service of alcohol.

• improved understanding of and compliance with legislative obligations for licensees, approved managers and staff.

• enhanced reputation as a compliant venue.

• enhanced community understanding of the roles of government agencies and the availability of government resources.

• collaborative and supportive relationships between licensees, local councils, patrons residents and police.

• increased engagement from the community in strategies planned for their benefit.

• improved standard of customers in and around licensed premises.

• access to customised materials and resources tailored to meet your requirements.

• access to the latest news, industry updates and information on regulatory changes.

Strategies that liquor accords have adopted to support a responsible and safe entertainment industry include:

• creating effective transport options to move people away from a precinct.

• developing a communication network between licensed premises to help them provide notifications of incidents or warnings about troublesome customers who may be moving between venues.

• ensuring venues provide a safe and secure environment for customers and staff.

• minimising antisocial behaviour, including destruction of property and violence, arising from excessive alcohol consumption.

Examples of popular strategies include:

Eastern Suburbs Liquor Accord - Enjoy@Home Campaign

Launched in August 2021, the Enjoy@Home campaign aimed to reduce patron gatherings near venues, which posed risks under COVID-19 Public Health Orders. In collaboration with NSW Police, the Accord distributed 5,000 custom stickers and posters to takeaway liquor businesses in the Bondi Beach area, reminding patrons to consume alcohol at home. This initiative led to a significant reduction in street drinking and breaches of Public Health Orders. The campaign demonstrated the effectiveness of local collaboration between the Accord and Police in addressing alcohol-related harm and adapting quickly to industry changes. Liquor & Gaming NSW later promoted the campaign materials statewide for broader use.

Ask for Angela Campaign

Originating in the UK and now adopted globally, the Ask for Angela campaign has been implemented by various NSW liquor accords to enhance patron safety. The initiative promotes venues as safe spaces, enabling patrons in uncomfortable or unsafe situations to discreetly seek help by asking staff, "Is Angela working?" Staff are then trained to assist patrons in leaving the situation subtly and without escalation. Successful implementation relies on collaboration between liquor accords, licensed venues, NSW Police, and local councils.

Multi-Venue Barring Strategies – Kings Cross Scanners and the Barring Guidelines

The ‘barred from one, barred from all’ policy is a popular liquor accord strategy to enhance safety by reducing violent and antisocial behaviour. As of April 1, 2019, Kings Cross ID scanners were upgraded to allow venues in the ID scanner network to share information about banned patrons, with strict privacy controls in place. If a banned patron attempts to enter another venue within the network, staff are alerted via the scanner, provided with details on the ban, and can decide whether to admit the individual. This system reinforces the Kings Cross Liquor Accord’s policy, helping venues prevent troublemakers from accessing multiple locations.

No Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG) Policy

In areas with a significant presence of outlaw motorcycle gangs, liquor accords collaborate with local police to implement barring notices for known OMCG members. These notices bar individuals from all licensed venues within the accord area, aiming to reduce OMCG-related activities and improve venue safety. This strategy has been successfully deployed in Sydney suburbs, including Mount Druitt, Camden, Campbelltown, and Blacktown.