Block safer than George St

The number of late-night revellers leaving the city's CBD in the back of an ambulance has made what was once the no-go ghetto of Eveleigh St look safe.

Three years ago the Block was the scene of an ugly riot when youths threw petrol bombs and bricks at police after the death of local boy TJ Hickey.

The Daily Telegraph revealed this week that ambulance crews were called to George St 126 times to treat victims of alcohol-fuelled crimes over the past eight weekends - almost eight times a night.

Over the same period, ambulance crews were called to Eveleigh St on 30 occasions, with just two of those for victims of assaults.

That was compared to 50 assaults, brawls and bashings in George St on Friday and Saturday nights in February and March.

The majority of calls to Eveleigh St were for drug overdoses, which accounted for half of the triple 0 emergency calls to the area.

Redfern residents say Eveleigh St reached a turning point after the 2004 riots, when police and council re-engaged with the community.

Redfern Residents for Reconciliation convenor Lyn Turnbull, who has lived near Eveleigh St for 30 years, said there was no doubt where she felt safer.

"We would have to go back to the 1980s to remember a time this calm and peaceful before the drug culture really set in in the 1990s,'' she said.

"Things have turned around and, after the council opened the community centre there has been a lot more through foot traffic for positive reasons.'' A police spokesman said comparing the CBD with anywhere else was like "apples and oranges''.

"The number of people in the CBD is far greater than any other suburb, and that number increases by around 100,000 every weekend as people pour into the city,'' he said.

"There is also a much higher number of licensed premises, restaurants, hotels and clubs in the CBD, so the potential for anti-social behaviour and alcohol-related crime is greater.''

Central Metro Region Police Mark Walton said he wouldn't compare Redfern to other areas but agreed the suburb was beginning to change. "Overall our impressions in the past couple of years are that the incident of violence and crime at Redfern has reduced and there are some tangible statistics to support that,'' he said.

"It's pleasing that the work that has been done is having an impact. Some of the crime is down and the feeling of safety and relations on all accounts is improving.

"The local community feels more engaged with the police and we hope to continue to develop and work on that to end up with a community we can be proud of.''

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21499114-5001021,00.html