Western Australia (WA) Police will look into getting rid of glasses in pubs and clubs in favour of plastic drinking containers in a bid to counter the number of violent assaults in which victims are s…
Western Australia (WA) Police will look into getting rid of glasses in pubs and clubs in favour of plastic drinking containers in a bid to counter the number of violent assaults in which victims are slashed with broken bottles and glasses. The idea is on trial in New South Wales where glass is removed from licensed venues after 11pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. In WA there have been several glassing attacks in recent weeks, including one on a 19-year-old man who was smashed across the face with a broken bottle. He needed 67 stitches. Police licensing enforcement division Superintendent Geoff Maloney confirmed the plastic solution would be investigated. “The idea to use plastic cups in licensed premises is on the agenda to be discussed and reviewed for 2008”, he said. It would be on the agenda early in 2008 when the service met the Department of Racing and Gaming and Liquor, and the Drug and Alcohol Office. Racing and Gaming Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich said the Director of Liquor Licensing already had the authority to tell licensees and permit holders what kinds of alcoholic beverage containers could be sold or supplied. “This authority is currently exercised on a case by case basis, usually in high-risk situations, and is commonly applied to large public events such as the Big Day Out and AFL matches”, she said. “To universally apply a plastic containers only requirement for all licensed premises would be extremely difficult, given the large and diverse range of products that are available only in glass containers”. A spokeswoman for the Australian Hotels Association agreed the use of plastic should be at a licensee“s discretion. “For a lot of licensees, especially for venues where there has been a history of violence, it might be a good call but a blanket ban wouldn“t work”, she said.