Police announced yesterday that licensees at all but one city venue had agreed to a new code which would see the lockout time brought back to 2.30am from 3am. And all venues will ban the sale of potent alcoholic drinks after 1am.

The new accord is effective immediately and comes about after much negotiation between the parties involved.

Naturally, there has been some resistance from licensees who, like most businesses, are about increasing profits, not minimising them.

Police, however, have worked hard to get them to agree to the new code.

Just how much of an impact it will have remains to be seen, however police have looked closely at such initiatives in other parts of the country and are confident that they do make a difference.

Concerns about binge-drinking and the anti-social (and sometimes violent) behaviour that follow have been growing steadily in recent years.

It is a problem shared by many regional and metropolitan centres across the country.

We do not want to turn our city into Wowser-town, but we do want to ensure it is safe for everyone to enjoy.

Most people who enjoy the nightclub scene are able to do so without incident. We want them to continue to be able to do that.

The reality is, though, there are some people who do not know their limits and, for whatever reason, do not make good decisions about their drinking.

In such cases, it is the community that feels the impact - in the most extreme cases where someone is killed or seriously injured, but more commonly in bearing the cost of cleaning up vomit, excrement and the results of criminal damage caused while under the influence.

This new accord will not solve these problems overnight, however they are a welcome step in the right direction.