Victoria Premier to introduce 'time-out' zone for drunks

Melbourne, Nov 10 : Premier of Victoria John Brumby has scrapped the Government's 2am lock-out policy, and decided to replace it with time-out zone serving tea and coffee for drunks.

In a bid to combat booze-fuelled violence in the Central Business District (CBD), Brumby has decided to introduce time-out zone where volunteer groups would serve water and tea and coffee to drunkards.

Moreover, 50 extra police will be put on duty during weekends, and they will decide whether to arrest drunken revellers or send them to the time-out zone.

"There will be an area in the city which police will describe as a time-out zone where some volunteer groups... with water and tea and coffee and in some cases give them a chance to lie down for a few hours before they go home," The Herald Sun quoted Brumby, as telling Radio 3AW.

"Hopefully there won't be too many youths in their time-out zone but it's better than being locked up for the night," he added.

Brumby said that the new measures, expected to cost an extra 11 million dollars, would include 50 extra police patrolling the city's streets during the weekends effective immediately.

"They can have a much much bigger presence in the CBD over weekends," he said.

ANI