Obviously Hindley Street is a hot spot for all sorts of things to go on but that clearly doesn't stop people from trying to make the most of their night there (and all over the city for that matter). So the two key points in your post really hit the nail on the head - police presence and taxis access.


A greater police presence is needed not only to attend events that happen (like those that have made headlines lately) but also to prevent them from happening. Knowing that on the odd chance something unfortunate may happen, it's comforting to know that officers who are trained to deal with such situations would be around to attend if needed. The sad fact is no matter how many peers are around you on a busy street, nobody really ever wants to get involved with something serious if they see it and if they do, it could potentially make matters worse.


The other issue is greater access to taxis. In recent times there have been manned taxi ranks set up across the city - great idea! However the idea is still just that, an idea, across most places in the city. Walking to find the closest rank opens up all kinds of possibilities in regards to safety. Not to mention the large number of people who engage in outlandish behaviour when trying to hail a cab because of the shortage in their particular part of town. Filling in the gaps in this service around town you make life just that little bit easier and safe on a night out.


I believe you're right in saying that "the vast majority of them (young people) just want to have a good time without getting into any trouble". I myself am one of the people that belong in that group. Apart of being young is about being to go out and enjoy the company of friends for a night on the town... and it's nice to see that you're thinking about how we can enjoy doing that with a better and safe city.


Thanks.

Dear Isabell
Since Runclle St was changed to a Mall most of the excellent retailers & Coffee shops etc moved East hindley st died except for the McDonalds & hotels the Theatres went this left the shady side to exploit the empty shops.
My suggestion is extend the Mall to Hindley St with one way traffic widen the footpaths & have small outlets in the side walk similar to Brisbane Mall.
give the retailers & new businesses 7 brighter outlook.

Hi Isobel,
I think your more relaxed attitude to young people is very relieving. I am sick of hearing about Labor's war on binge drinking as such a problem in our State. I am 23 and a frequenter of Hindley St and I agree - most people are just out for a good time, and if Labor had their way, we would lost that right. I think access to taxis is definitely the most important issue to resolve this issue. If people can leave when they want to, then their chances of running into unsavoury people are minimised. I have been assaulted before, however ironically outside Parliament House. This was because my housemate and I decided to walk home to north adelaide, rather than waiting an hour or so in a cab rank. We walked past 5 younger males who clobbered us in the head from behind. Had we a more efficient cab system this would not have occurred, and those hooligans would have had no one to mess with! We did call the police afterwards and they didnt ever come, or return the call or take a statement over the phone.

Some ideas towards improving the safety of Hindley street:
1. Encourage the development of new buildings and or significant facelifts for existing structures on the main strip - old, vandalised and run down buildings will continue to be treated as such until the street gets a face lift.
2. Encourage similar type venues to locate in the same sections of the street - this will reduce the spread of people, making it easier to police and providing safety in numbers. It will also make the street appear more vibrant, rather than having small groups of people spread out along a large strip.
3. Provide ONE clear thouroughfare between Hindley and the Casino/trams on North Terrace, aggregating movement making it safer and easier to police.
4. Redevelop the site of the Greater Union cinemas to become a central hub for foodcourts and/or clubs.

These are just some ideas, obviously with a theme being aggregating food outlets, licensed venues and thoroughfares through to the most popular sites between North Terrace and Hindley Street.

I saw similar acts for people at our town too. They are just doing what makes them arrogrant everyday.

I agree that most are simply out for a good time. I think we all know that the way to keep everywhere safer is to address social issues like housing, employment and education opportunities. See the Australian Criminology web site. Those who work hard need financial rewards but I think all Australians who are employed should be able to afford to buy their own home and have a little left over to put in the bank for a rainy day.

We do not require police who have great intellects, rather we need them with a physical presence. I believe in equal opportunity when all things are equal, but police of small stature avoid "problems." I have seen this all too frequently in Runde Mall and elsewhere, where the general public physically look down on the person from whom they may wish to seek help. What reassurance is this?

Let's have a reality check. The private security industry is far more realistic in the type of people they employ. The Government could do worse than emulate their standards, possibly then more respect will be forthcoming for those who are in the forefront of maintaining law and order in our society

yes i agree that with more police presence this binge drinking menance can be controlled .if people know that there is someone to catch them when they are doing wrong they will stop doing it as who will be caught doing mischevious things will have a hardtime with police and then thay will spread a word of mouth for it and people will refrain from street voilence.taxi acess should also be made available for more frequent pick ups.

yes i agree that with more police presence this binge drinking menance can be controlled .if people know that there is someone to catch them when they are doing wrong they will stop doing it as who will be caught doing mischevious things will have a hardtime with police and then thay will spread a word of mouth for it and people will refrain from street voilence.taxi acess should also be made available for more frequent pick ups.

yes i agree that with more police presence this binge drinking menance can be controlled .if people know that there is someone to catch them when they are doing wrong they will stop doing it as who will be caught doing mischevious things will have a hardtime with police and then thay will spread a word of mouth for it and people will refrain from street voilence.taxi acess should also be made available for more frequent pick ups.

Hi Isobel.
I wish to talk about things the Labor Government hasn't done too well. I have considered sending this letter to The Advertiser, but who knows if it would be published. You might not agree with all of it, but if it helps in some way, I'll be happy. The text follows.

SA is trailing
The Labor Party election flyer I’ve just received is entitled ‘Keep South Australia Moving Ahead’. It claims that “South Australia leads the nation in so many ways”. It points to successes in job creation, defence contracts, special events and renewable energy, but there’s no mention of those areas where we trail other states.
Public transport and the road network in Adelaide are prime examples. The Rann Labor Government lacked vision when it came to office. While progressive, forward thinking places like Perth invested huge amounts in well integrated road and rail networks, our state government did little until a media campaign forced them to get busy a couple of years ago. We still have a long way to catch up with other states that having been planning for future growth all along.
This government somehow believes our public institutions couldn’t possibly be corrupted, so there’s ‘no’ need for an independent commission against corruption here. Other states have operated them successfully for years.
This government has sought to erode the level of government accountability and popular participation in politics. Parliament is sitting less often and there will have been a four month recess before it sits again. The government has stuck to the March 20th fixed election date knowing that the March special events distract the masses. The government did not put a single proposal from the constitutional movement in 2002 to the vote. Nowadays people need to spend a lot of money to get access to the Premier and his ministers. This doesn’t seem to be a government interested in having a population that is well informed and politically involved.
Water is another major area where we’ve been trailing. Again a strong media campaign was needed before the Rann Government started to take water seriously. We’re getting a desalination plant soon, but persistent government opposition to storm water recycling makes securing our water supplies a big ask.
Another massive Labor election victory would be bad news for South Australia. Their patchy record doesn’t warrant such a result.

I dont often go into the city on a Sat night but after a conference dinner on the 20th Feb my wife and i went into Hindley St and ended up in a bar with some young people (20's I'm 48) and had a ball.
Police presence(need more) is great to remove the idiots but dont ruin the party atmosphere.

To see more police on the beat in Adelaide More taxis in adelaide

Hi Isobel,

Thanks for getting to the point and decriminalising us young people! Yes, we want to have a good time, but we're not all louts, thugs and boozehounds as Mikey boy would have the media believe.

As a 24yr old female, you're spot on with a need to increase taxis and police presence. We need someone to go to when/if the shit hits the fan (i.e. the police) and we need to be able to get home safely rather than wander around the streets for hours, which definitely leads to aforementioned 'shit hits fan' situations.

Thanks for being straight to the point - it's something SA has been needing for a while!

Agree with Bob. Could be the simplest and most effective solution. That said, this element will exist SOMEWHERE....pushed further out will improve tourist perception at the very least tho.

I have heard horror stories about Hindley street all my (40yo) life.
I feel that for the number of people in one area at one time and given the high alcohol consumption in the area, there are remarkably few incidents.

However, I am sure that a well calculated and friendly/tolerant police presence on the street and surrounds would be of benefit to patrons and the wider community.

But how about BEST LIGHTING and SAFE PUBLIC TRANSPORT AT ALL TIMES as a cost-effective way of preventing preventable crime.

I hope for but do not expect a reply, Simon

btw I am about to vote liberal for the second time in my life.
I hope yo regognize I am exactly the sort of person you need to win and QUICKLY.

Hello Isobel,

Good luck for Saturday and all the best for a good win. Isobel Iam writing about the public transport in Adelaide. I believe the trams are by far the best mode of public transport. I would like to see the tram lines extended to go around the city centre with the Mall in the middle and out to the suburbs, particularly up to North Adelaide They could be used as a great tourist tool in this area as well as for public transport. As for the buses they are an embarrassment to have visitors coming to a beautiful city like Adelaide and ride in those buses. Lastly it would would really great to see the Festival Theatre revamped into a stylish meeting place e.g. something like Federation Square in Melbourne plus have it as a new Adelaide landmark.

I agree with getting the police out from behind the desks in admin jobs back onto the beat or actually doing operational policing. After all this was the job they trained for. I always have a chuckle when the goverment cuts back on public servants, but can't recruit enough police. If they put the office bound police back on the operational front, then they could backfill the administration jobs with the public servants. That way the police can have instant increased numbers for patrol shortages etc. Makes sense to me. Have the public servants doing the admin and put the police only doing policing. How many office bound police would there be? There must be hundreds shuffling papers and ordering pens and pencils.

1. Encourage the development of new buildings and or significant facelifts for existing structures on the main strip - old, vandalised and run down buildings will continue to be treated as such until the street gets a face lift.

'' Yea right ..

i think the government should give hindley street a new name, and a revamp to give it a new reputation, making it feel safer and CLEANER!

I strongly agree Peter's thoughts. There must be a way to prevent this happening.

Hi Isolbel
I am glag that you personally visited the hindley St area with the Police for the area.
Futher consultation with the businesess in the area needs to be done to upgrade the area to bring more shppers & busineses who would feel comfortable to be in the area. I am sure the hotesl & motesl in the area would like to see improvements.
Property owners need to think more about daytime activity than just nightlife activities.

I admire what you have done...Indeed police are tied up to avoid their must resposibilities nowadays...I have seen many cases like this...