Not our duty to be peacekeepers: Pubs

It's not the duty of pubs and their security officers to get involved in altercations that are beyond the immediate vicinity of their hotels, the Australian Hotels Association (NSW) has declared.

The Supreme Court of NSW recently awarded $1.4 million to John Orcher, a patron of the Bridge Hotel at Rozelle, Sydney. Orcher was seriously injured in an assault by Tamiano Paseka – who sometimes worked at the pub as a glass collector - across the road from the venue.

Supreme Court Judge Ian Harrison said bouncers had a duty to "anticipate and prevent violence" outside their venues.

"The period of approximately two and a half minutes between when Mr Paseka commenced to cross the street and the assault upon Mr Orcher was more than adequate to have permitted alert and vigilant security guards to intervene," he said.

But AHA (NSW) director of policing, regulations and membership, John Green told TheShout that licensees employ security officers to keep their patrons safe in and around their hotels. 

"It's not the job of security to patrol hundreds of yards down the street or across the road," he said.

Green said the decision is subject to an appeal and the AHA is hopeful it will be overturned.

Source: The Shout, 19 November 2012