The state opposition, police and the hotel industry have backed a crackdown on notorious pub operators and urged the government to carefully consider introducing 3am curfews at NSW pubs.
In a bid to combat violence at licensed venues, the Department of Liquor, Gaming and Racing is seeking CCTV footage and documents from 23 licensed premises and examining strategies such as a 3am lockout.
Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell said he supported the naming and shaming of pubs by the department, which showed high rates of violence in Sydney, Wollongong, Dubbo, Newcastle, Bathurst and the Central Coast.
"If the state government is serious in cracking down on violence across pubs they ought to take the results of the Newcastle trial, they ought to look at what the Brumby government is doing in Victoria and look at the universal 3am curfew,'' Mr O'Farrell told reporters.
"If we are serious about stopping liquor-fuelled violence across the state, and it's not just happening in one or two spots, a 3am universal curfew has to be on the agenda.''
Gaming and Racing Minister Graham West said the government was constantly reviewing data to retrieve information on problem venues.
"We want to work with those venues to put a whole range of strategies in place,'' Mr West told Fairfax Radio.
"That could be increasing the number of security guards at the venue, having them roam the streets - the security guards - for people that are travelling.''
The Department of Liquor, Gaming and Racing has asked the 23 pubs to explain why they should not be shut down.
Mr O'Farrell said various areas throughout NSW, such as Manly, had tried to adapt their trading hours to the local circumstances.
"It's not always worked,'' Mr O'Farrell said.
"We ought to be supporting good publicans, we ought to be supporting the community by identifying those pubs that have consistent problems and where clearly no action is being taken.''
However, Manly Councillor Pat Daley said illegal drugs, not only alcohol, were to blame for violent behaviour at licensed venues in the area.
While the Hotel Industry has cautiously backed the government's crackdown on violence, Australian Hotels Association (AHA) spokesman John Green said any curfew decisions should be made on a case by case basis.
"Strategies shouldn't just be put in for no other reason than that they sound like a good idea,'' Mr Green told Macquarie radio.
"Lockouts are useful if they are put in place with a range of other strategies.''
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said he wanted to see the results of a Newcastle trial to introduce pub curfews.
"The early indicators are that it's working, but I want to make sure that we've got enough time to be sure and if that works I'll be going back to government saying I need to look at perhaps broadening this across the state,'' Mr Scipione said.
"But more importantly looking for ongoing support to work as hard as we need to to bring down the level on alcohol-related assaults.''
Crackdown wins support - National - smh.com.au
SOOO SUCKS !! grr.
3AM Sydney Lockout - Crackdown wins support 
Re: 3AM Sydney Lockout - Crackdown wins support 
They say the mind bends and twists, in order to deal with the horrors of life. Sometimes it bends so much, it snaps in two 
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