So it’s OK to drink OUTSIDE? Sydney to axe 62 alcohol-free zones and allow drinking in parks and on the street (but you still can’t get a bottle of wine after 10pm)
Booze bans are set to be lifted across dozens of Sydney streets and parks
The City of Sydney council has plans to scrap 62 booze-free zones
But police claim the ban has helped stamp out alcohol-fuelled violence
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Source: Daily Mail
By Cindy Tran for Daily Mail Australia
30 March 2016
Booze bans are set to be lifted across dozens of Sydney streets and parks, sparking outrage from police who claim the restrictions have helped stamp out alcohol-fuelled violence.
In recent years, The City of Sydney council increased alcohol-free zones to nearly 400 streets, parks and other public places in an attempt to discourage anti-social behaviour.
This comes after the introduction of strict lock-out laws banning patrons from entering pubs and clubs after 1.30am in inner-city Sydney, or buying takeaway alcohol after 10pm across New South Wales.
But Lord Mayor Clover Moore plans to scrap 62 booze-free zones in Newtown, Surry Hills, Redfern, Waterloo, Alexandria, Erskineville, Rosebury and Darlinghurst, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Initial claims have suggested Ms Moore’s pledge to remove the booze bans was to win over young voters ahead of the council election amid the controversial Baird government’s lockout laws.
NSW Premier Mike Baird found himself at the centre of a ridicule after responding to a criticism about Sydney’s lock-out laws in a poorly-received Facebook rant early in February.
On Wednesday, the council said the decision was based on crime statistics after several alcohol-free zones were found to have minor rates of violence and mayhem.
However, NSW Police are pushing to keep the city’s alcohol-free zones, claiming the signs help reduce ‘crimes such as malicious damage, stealing, offensive behaviour and acts of violence’.
In recent years, The City of Sydney council increased alcohol-free zones to nearly 400 streets and parks
Police Association of NSW boss Scott Weber said: ‘Removing alcohol-free zones makes the job of local police in these areas more difficult.’
But Redfern Legal Centre senior solicitor David Porter said there were other ways for police officers to deal with violence and anti-social behaviours in the area.
‘Rolling back alcohol-free zones does make it easier for health services to reach out to people with alcohol problems,’ he said.