Improving Community Safety Through Venue Entry Technology

The Australian hospitality industry is finally seeing a welcomed return to ‘business as usual’ after navigating the shortfalls from COVID. With patrons now flooding back to popular nightlife venues, issues such as venue entry ID verification, antisocial behaviour and patron safety are now firmly back on the agenda for consideration.

Community safety and security is always a priority for any bar owner or nightclub manager and local governments are doing their bit to support the venues in improving the safety and security of their patrons.

In this article, we explore the ways in which the Queensland Government is taking steps to improve the accountability and safety of patrons within their local community, with Scantek’s technology proudly being a part of the overall solution.

Queensland’s Safe Night Precinct (SNP)

If you own or operate a nightlife venue within any of Queensland’s Safe Night Precincts (SNPs), you will be well aware of the Queensland Alcohol-related violence and Night Time Economy Monitoring (QUANTEM) report which seeks to evaluate the tackling alcohol-fuelled Violence policy (TAFV).

The report is broken down into three categories; Safety, Drinking Culture and Impact On Business, and evaluates the changes and improvements needed to ensure patrons are safer whilst out and about on the town.

The report is produced every two years, and in the most recent 2019 report, some notable improvements surfaced after introducing new proactive measures to mitigate the risk at nightlife venues within the local community.

In a recent media release, the improvements were celebrated by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who reiterated that “The safety of Queenslanders is our top priority.”

The Steps Taken To Improve Community Safety

It has taken the Queensland Government a wide array of technologies, policies, personnel and creative thinking to tackle the challenge of improving community safety.

Aside from initiatives such as the ceasing of alcohol service from 3 am, and a newly introduced TAFV legislation, the Queensland government have also introduced mandatory ID scanners throughout the Safe Night Precincts (SNPs) as reported in this article.

Whilst venue entry ID scanning has traditionally been seen as a cumbersome process, it is here where Scantek’s revolutionary ID scanner for nightclubs and venues is taking nightlife venues by storm.

Venue Entry Made Simple

Now that ID Verification at nightlife venues has become a mandatory requirement within the Queensland Safe Night Precinct (SNP), a technology that offers fast, efficient and effortless scanning ability becomes a paramount piece of kit for venue managers.

Scantek has been a provider to the SNP for over 4 years and is proud to also be a supplier of the Queensland government, providing our exclusive Venue Entry Solution which offers a handheld mobile technology to verify the identities of patrons entering nightlife venues.

Since the introduction of this new technology, it has been helping venue owners improve their admittance process, reduce venue entry wait times, and protect the venue against antisocial behaviour. Scantek CEO & Co-Founder, Ches Rafferty, commented on the progress of the technology within the community by saying, “We are proud to support the Government of Queensland and this innovative project. The reduction in violence to date is an amazing result, and the continuation of this project will ensure patron safety for the foreseeable future.”

Outside of Queensland, Scantek is also working with other states on similar ID verification initiatives such as the work with the Government of Western Australia’s Banned Drinkers’ Register, covered in detail in this press release.

To get an idea of how the technology works, visit our venue entry page for full details, or get in touch and we’ll walk you through how it can specifically help your business.

ID Verification Saves Lives

In the 2019 QUANTEM report, it is clear that new initiatives such as Scantek’s venue entry ID verification solution, are helping to achieve some notable improvements, and are firmly part of the solution for improving overall community safety.

Some of these improvements have specifically eventuated within the 3 am-
6 am of the morning when a majority of serious assaults, crimes and incidents occur within the community – an area of particular concern for local authorities.

Some of the key outcomes from the 2019 report were:

• 29% reduction per month statewide in serious assaults between 3 am and 6 am.
• 40% reduction in Fortitude Valley safe night precincts with a significant reduction in the Toowoomba safe night precincts.
• 29% reduction in ambulance callouts in safe night precincts between 3am and 6am, and an 11% average reduction statewide.
• 12% reduction in hospital admissions.
• 4% average reduction per month statewide of at least one serious crime (including rape and grievous bodily harm) per week.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Shannon Fentiman explained how the report produced some celebratory results ahead of pledging further funding towards improving the Safe Night Precinct even further.

She commented, “I am pleased to announce $500,000 in grant funding is now open to support safe night precinct boards to ensure Queenslanders can enjoy a night out without feeling threatened or uncomfortable.”

She went on further to add, “We are pleased to have been able to strike a balance between reducing alcohol-related harm and the need to ease the regulatory burden on hospitality and tourism businesses.”