More than 30 per cent of alcohol-related assaults occurred between midnight and 6am on those days,  figures that disappoint Orange paramedics. 

Station officer Bernadette Mccabe said it was frustrating for officers to have to attend incidents that are easily preventable.

“The fact they could be so easily prevented by responsible drinking and better behaviour is certainly very frustrating,” she said.

Ms McCabe said officers did not attend alcohol-related assaults every weekend, but incidents were more likely to occur during the summer months.

The BOCSAR statistics show 30 per cent of alcohol-related assaults in the Orange local government area in 2012 occurred during January, February and December. 

However, it is not just assaults that occur when people have had too much to drink.

The BOCSAR statistics showed 14 per cent of robberies in Orange were committed by an offender under the influence, while 6 per cent of motor vehicle thefts and 13 per cent of malicious damage incidents were carried out by someone who had alcohol in their system.

However, the figures could be a lot higher, as these statistics only relate to offenders police have caught and assessed were under the influence. 

While incidents of assaults against police in Orange are five times the state average, paramedics are generally well received when called to violent crimes, Ms McCabe said.

“There is the odd occurrence of violent behaviour,” she said.

Traditionally it has been young men who have accounted for the majority of alcohol-related assaults, but Ms McCabe says that trend is changing.

“I’d say it’s getting towards a level playing field in terms of excessive consumption and violent behaviour and risky behaviour,” she said.

nicole.kuter@fairfaxmedia.com.au