Professor Tim Stockwell:

It is important, as Professor Barry says, that we get the regulatory environment and pricing right. However, the police will always have a central role in reducing alcohol-related harm. International research indicates that the typical city or town in the economically developed world experiences a peak of violent incidents when pubs close on Friday and Saturday nights. If one studies the locations in which people were drinking before getting involved in violent disorder in public places, 10% to 15% of all bars contribute to 70% to 80% of the violent incidents. That is partly because they have a massive clientele but also because they are lax, permit crowding, over-serve and have violent security staff who contribute to violence instead of being peaceable and toning things down. A modern system of regulation involves getting good intelligence, linking crime to the liqour outlets that are highest risk and targeting those, including by way of eventually suspending licences. That can lead to a massive reduction. There have been successful strategies in Australia along those lines.