THE number of non-domestic violence-related assaults in Orange has decreased by 21 per cent, making Orange the 22nd most violent city in NSW - down from the 12th most violent last year.
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But the majority of violence is still happening in the central business district.
The reduction of 21.7 per cent in the two years previous to September is more than five times the statewide reduction.
In 2012 Orange was ranked the 12th most violent city in NSW but the latest stats from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show Orange is now ranked 22 out of 155 local government areas.
Bathurst is still less violent than Orange with a ranking of 27 compared with 13th in 2012.
Canobolas Local Area Command Superintendent David Driver said the reduction could be attributed to plans implemented by the Orange Liquor Accord and highly publicised incidents of violence, such as the king-hit and death of 18-year-old Thomas Kelly in Kings Cross in July 2012.
“It’s also due to highly visible policing, during certain times we’ve got a lot of police out and about and it is all of these things combined,” he said.
“The well-publicised acts of violence create awareness of what can happen with excessive alcohol consumption and violence.”
The most violent city blocks in Orange are from Byng street to the north, Peisley Street to the east, Kite Street to the south and Anson to the west with Robertson Park in the middle.
There are smaller hot spots near Esso Park in Woodward Street, an area outside the Canobolas Rural Technology High School and an area off South Terrace between Davidson Place and Blackett Place. But there are fewer assaults in these spots compared to the CBD.
Orange crime prevention committee chair councillor Jason Hamling said 292 assaults in a year was still too many. However, he said the reduction in violence meant strategies to curb anti-social behaviour at local hotels were working and the accord should be congratulated.
“It’s people pulling their heads in and taking responsibility for themselves and their actions,” he said.
“The pubs have to have a responsible service of alcohol but the patrons need to be responsible for what they do as well, how much they drink and be responsible for their actions.”
The crime statistics are released quarterly and since the last results Orange’s late-night trading venues have been reduced after the Occidental Hotel stopped trading past midnight in May.
nicole.kuter@
fairfaxmedia.com.au