Australian town restricts sale of ‘goon bags’ to one cask a day in a desperate bid stop anti-social behaviour
- Police have temporarily banned the sale of cask wine or ‘goon’ in Geraldton, WA
- The ban has been temporarily imposed due to a rise in alcohol-related crime
- Four litre Fruity Lexia and Tawny Port wines will be prohibited in the city
Police have temporarily banned the sale of four litre cask wine or ‘goon bags’ over the weekend in an Outback town due to a rise in alcohol-fuelled violence.
The sale of four litre Fruity Lexia and Tawny Port wines will be prohibited Geraldton, Western Australia, from Thursday 1pm to midnight on Tuesday. Instead, just one two litre cask will be allowed each day.
The temporary restrictions were imposed by the local Geraldton police force due to a spike in alcohol-related crime.
Police have temporarily banned the sale of cask wine or ‘goon bags’ at a West Australian town due to a rise in alcohol-fuelled violence
Besides the four litre Fruity Lexia and Tawny Port wines, all other four litre cask wines will be raised in price cost a minimum $15.
Residents will also be restricted to purchasing only one two litre cask wine per day.
Geraldton Police Station officer in charge acting Sen Sgt Stuart Gerreyn explained that the temporary trial has been brought in as a way to curb alcohol-fuelled incidents.
‘We have had an increase in violence and anti-social behaviour along the foreshore, particularly near the cinemas and the basketball court,’ he told The West Australian
‘There is no particular day of the week or time of day when this is happening, it is just basically from when the bottle shops open to when it gets dark. People are buying their goon bags, drinking them and going back and buying another one.’
Senior Sergeant Gerreyn said if the temporary rules proved to be successful, the local police force may consider something more permanent.
For the first time, four litre Fruity Lexia and Tawny Port wines will be unavailable for purchase in the city of Geraldton (pictured) for five days
The temporary restrictions were imposed by the local Geraldton police force due to a spike in alcohol-related crime. (Pictured: Police in Perth, WA)
A series of notices outlining the rules of the alcohol ban have been placed in local Geraldton liquor stores
He noted that ‘other regions’ already have problems with alcohol-fuelled crime and says the Geraldton police is trying to ‘get on top of it’ as soon as possible.
A series of notices outlining the rules of the alcohol ban have been placed in local Geraldton liquor stores.
The notices include the specific details of the restrictions as well as the time period the trial will be imposed.
It reads: ‘Due to an increase in incidents as a result of alcohol consumption within the Geraldton community, liquor restrictions will be enforced as a four day trial’.
The temporary ban does not apply to tourists passing through the town who purchase alcohol for their own consumption from elsewhere.
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