title: Property damage and public disorder: their relationship with sales of alcohol in New South Wales, Australia.
abstract: It has been suspected for some time that alcohol is involved in the origin of offensive behaviour and property damage incidents. Using regression analyses and a cross-sectional design, this study investigates these relationships for both Sydney and country New South Wales (NSW), whilst controlling for key social and demographic variables. The study found that both offence types occurred more frequently in areas with greater sales of alcohol. The effect of alcohol sales was considerably larger in Sydney than it was in country NSW. There was an interaction between aboriginal population size and alcohol sales for country NSW offensive behaviour data. Overall, these findings are consistent with alcohol consumption playing a causal role in these offences, however, the possibility remains that alcohol sales may be acting as an indicator of criminal opportunity.
authors.affiliation: New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, New South Wales Attorney General's Department, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weatherburn
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution; D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data