Qld: Police to target drunken behaviour

AAP General News (Australia)
12-11-2009
Qld: Police to target drunken behaviour

BRISBANE, Dec 11 AAP - Queensland will put 800 extra police on the streets over the
weekend to combat alcohol-fuelled violence and antisocial behaviour.

Queensland will join the nationwide Operation Unite to combat a wave of violent behaviour
and police will continue with Operation Merit, a two-month campaign to tackle antisocial
behaviour, including drink-driving.

Assistant Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said Operation Unite would target alcohol-fuelled
illegal behaviour.

"It won't just be the clubs and the pubs, it will be any event or incident that alcohol
might be fuelling," Mr Stewart said.

"Operation Merit, which is our ongoing work targeting similar-type behaviour, will
continue through this weekend," he said.

He said police would intervene if people show signs of drunkenness.

The two-week-old Operation Merit snared people on 191 charges last weekend, Police
Minister Neil Roberts told reporters.

"The community has sent a very strong message to the government that it's basically
had enough of alcohol-fuelled antisocial behaviour, particularly in the major entertainment
precincts," the minister said.

"An additional $1.5 million will fund around 16,000 additional overtime hours for the
police service across the state, mainly focused in the major entertainment areas."

Mr Stewart gave no reason for the surge in alcohol-fuelled crime and said he hoped
a parliamentary inquiry into alcohol and its effects, due to report early in 2010, would
provide some answers.

"We expect people to act responsibly," he said.

"It shouldn't take the police to have to lock someone up to teach them that they shouldn't
shove a glass in someone's face or bash someone unmercifully who they (didn't) even know
two seconds before."

AAP stg/pjo/jl

KEYWORD: BLITZ QLD

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