Does banning rowdy patrons from bars help improve behaviour?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-03-13 03:00

Australia; VIC; WA

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Banning patrons who engage in antisocial behaviour at bars and other licensed premises appears to have a positive effect in reducing poor behaviour at those venues, according to an analysis of bans given out in WA. Australian researchers used de-identified data for 3440 people who had received at least one barring notice from the police, and 319 who had received at least one prohibition order, over a period including most of the 2010s. The researchers say just 5% of the barring notices and 1% of prohibition orders were for repeat offenders, suggesting the vast majority of people who get banned don't go on to get banned again. The researchers say over half the people who received these bans recorded no further offences after they received them, though they note this finding is different to results from similar research in Victoria.