title: Restrictions in pub closing times and lockouts in Newcastle, Australia five years on.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In 2008 pub closing times were restricted from 5 am to 3:30 am in the central business district (CBD) of Newcastle, Australia. A previous study showed a one-third reduction in assaults in the 18 months following the restriction. We assessed whether the assault rate remained lower over the following 3.5 years and whether the introduction of a 'lockout' in nearby Hamilton was associated with a reduction in assaults there.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a pre-post design with comparison against two post-change periods. The setting was Greater Newcastle (population 530,000) and subjects were persons apprehended for assault in the CBD and nearby Hamilton, an area with late trading pubs where a lockout and other strategies were implemented in 2010. Cases were police-recorded assault apprehensions occurring from 10 pm to 6 am in one pre-change period: January 2001 to March 2008, and two post-change periods: (i) April 2008 to September 2009 and (ii) October 2009 to March 2013. Negative binomial regression with terms for secular trend and seasonal effects was used to estimate Post1: Pre and Post2: Pre Incidence Rate Ratios and confidence intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the CBD recorded assaults fell from 99/quarter before the restriction to 68/quarter in the first post-change period [incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.55-0.82] and 71/quarter (IRR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.55-0.85) in the later post-change period. In the same periods in Hamilton, assault rates were 23, 24, and 22 per quarter respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The restriction in closing time was associated with a sustained lower assault rate in the Newcastle CBD. We find no evidence that lockouts and other outlet management strategies were effective in Hamilton.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.
authors.forename: Kypros
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kypri
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McElduff
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001315:Australia; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003132:Commerce / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D013997:Time Factors; D014754:Violence / Q000639:trends*
keywords: alcohol; assault; licensed premise; pub; trading hour