City safety
The City of Adelaide is committed to ensuring that the city is safe and welcoming for residents and visitors.
A range of safety initiatives are delivered, working in collaboration with the community and other stakeholders. The work focuses on enabling communities to increase actual and perceived safety by strengthening neighbourhood connections, reducing social isolation and improving wellbeing and resilience. Initiatives cover subjects such as:
Alcohol and dry zones
The city streets and squares are dry areas 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This means it is illegal to consume alcohol or carry an open liquor container in public space.
The Adelaide Park Lands are a designated dry area between 8:00 pm and 11:00 am the next day. The exceptions to this are Veale Park/ Walya Yarta (Park 21) and Blue Gum Park/ Kurangga (Park 20) which are designated dry zones at all times until 22 June 2025, when they will be reviewed.
If you wish to consume alcohol during the times that an area is designated as a dry area, including as part of an event, you must apply for a liquor licence through the State Government Consumer and Business Services.
Refer to this map to see the dry areas across the city and North Adelaide.
CCTV
For your safety, the City of Adelaide owns and maintains the City Safe CCTV network across the Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide. This network is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by a branch of SA Police.
After midnight transport
After a big night out in the city on a Saturday night, it’s reassuring to know you can get home safely. In conjunction with Adelaide Metro and SA Police, the city has four premium stops which bus services to major outer suburbs. The stops all have upgraded lighting, CCTV and a regular police presence.
Learn more about after midnight services on the Adelaide Metro website.
Designed for safety
The City of Adelaide utilises internationally recognised Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles when planning public space development and assessing private development applications.
CPTED is about designing safer, more welcoming places for people to live, work and play.
Need more information?
For more information view the City of Adelaide's Safer City Policy.
For any further enquiries on City of Adelaide safety initiatives, please contact the Customer Service Centre: