Commisioner says glass ban won't stop slashing with 67 attacks
Nicole Cox, police reporter From:PerthNow August 12, 2010 12:56PM
THERE have been 67 glass attacks in WA clubs this year - but banning glasses won't stop the horrific assaults, says Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan.
WA's top cop says outlawing drinking glasses from pubs and clubs would do little to avert slash attacks, with stubbies used in 70 per cent of glassings so far this year.
Police statistics reveal the shocking rate of glass attacks - about nine every month, or two a week.
Commissioner O'Callaghan said contrary to widespread community belief, beer stubbies and premix bottles had been responsible for most glass attacks in Perth so far this year - not glassware.
``Most of the damage caused had been by stubbies not with glasses,'' Mr O'Callaghan said this morning.
``To me, it's a bit of a surprise that most of the glassings have been caused by a simple insult.''
WA Police data shows that since January this year, there have been 67 glass attacks across the metropolitan area. Of those, just 30 per cent involved glasses as the weapon of choice.
Until this year police did not keep specific statistics on glass attacks, which had been captured under the offence of grievous bodily harm.
Mr O'Callaghan said while there was a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail for grievous bodily harm offences, the courts were not dishing out significant enough sentences.
``What we need to see is the courts to issue significant penalties for people who choose to cut someone else with a piece of glass,'' he said.
``I don't think we are seeing the upper end of grievous bodily harm fines or imprisonment being dealt out at this point in time. I think there's enough concern in the community for the courts to take a more severe view of this particular issue.
``What we have to do is come up with ways of minimising the risk to people who go to nightclubs. That does not necessarily mean that everybody has to drink out of plastic.
One of those ideas is to encourage venues to clear empty glasses quicker so they cannot be used as weapons, he said.
