Bendigo nightclubs target troublemakers

NIGHTCLUB owners plan to banish hoodlums from their bars by starting a blacklist of known troublemakers.Police have backed the move by Bendigo licensees to curb dangerous drunks in the wake of a glassing attack at Universal nightclub.Universal manager Toby Gray said plastic glasses had been introduced at the venue after a staff member was glassed in the early hours of Sunday morning.A local nightclub owner, who did not wish to be named, said licensees had decided enough was enough.“We’re starting an operation to clear the troublemakers out of town,” the nightclub owner said.“We know who they are, so it’s just a matter of working it out so when someone causes trouble in one place, they don’t go somewhere else and do the same thing.“We’re probably only talking about a group of 20 people, but they cause a lot of the trouble.“We’re over it, we’ve had a guts full of it.”Acting Inspector Grant Morris said police supported the move.He said a meeting of licensees, police and Director of Liquor Licensing Sue Maclellan next Thursday would discuss the proposal in detail.“Assault figures through the CBD are remaining pretty low, but there has been a concern over types of assaults and some of the behaviour going on,” he said.“The majority of people who go out on a Friday or Saturday night are there to have fun, but there’s a minority who go out to cause trouble and that’s when people get hurt.“It’s a matter for the venues, but it’s certainly not a bad idea.“If people go out and exhibit behaviour that shows they’re a risk, if you’re a venue owner you’re not going to accept that.”Acting Inspector Morris said police and licensees were committed to stamping out loutish behaviour.“What the licensees are doing, by talking to each other about the clientele that might pose a risk, is a proactive measure,” he said.