Groups of antisocial people harassing passersby, vandalising property and threatening workers have become embedded in the city, according to a government report released under public pressure.
A report commissioned by the City Renewal Authority into concerning behaviour in Canberra's CBD describes excessive alcohol consumption, violence and harassment to the point one contracted observer had to be taken off the project for their own safety.
Over a 22-day period, security guards contracted to walk around the city recorded 612 incidents involving alcohol, shouting, offensive language, drug use, vandalism and threats towards members of the public between 8am and 8pm, during December 2024 and January and February 2025.
Based on the security guards' observations, one-fifth of all incidents were directed at members of the public and nine incidents directly targeted ACT government staff and contractors, with the intent to "intimidate or disrupt programming".
"Despite the city centre's designation as an alcohol-free zone, consumption of alcohol emerged as the most prevalent, visible, and persistent form of antisocial behaviour observed during the audit," the report read.
"Entrenched pockets of antisocial behaviour are concentrated around the merry-go-round, which undermines the capacity of this iconic public infrastructure to attract families into the city."
A security guard observing groups in Civic was forced to leave the project due to safety concerns.
"One of the members of the auditing team was removed from the project for their own safety after receiving direct threats from individuals engaged in antisocial behaviour during his auditing period in December," the report read.
People were seen leaving or actively avoiding areas in response to the behaviour in 43 per cent of observed cases, the report stated.
"A total of 151 incidents were recorded in which individuals displayed visible signs of emotional discomfort in response to antisocial behaviour, with an additional 50 cases involving more acute reactions such as intimidation and fear," the report read.
The lead auditor noted that people's excessive and continuing alcohol consumption from early in the morning contributed to escalating issues later in the day. They also believed that the city was attracting more disagreeable behaviour.
"The sustained visibility and frequency of antisocial behaviour in the city centre contributes to an enabling environment, potentially encouraging further occurrences," the report read.
Authors of the report recommended the authority work with police and community services to reduce the use of alcohol and drugs, and engage with government stakeholders to address underlying issues in the city.
"Future programming must account for the increasing costs associated with current activity delivery, including the need for additional security, potential psychosocial impacts on staff, risks to community safety, and negative effects on attendance and public perception of the city," the report read.
The place audit was commissioned after a "large increase in incidents of antisocial behaviour" at the authority's public events and during installation of place activations in 2024.
"These incidents posed an increased risk to the safety of the community, contractors, and staff. As a result, several events were closed early (a measure not previously actioned), increased security was required at all activities, and costs related to theft and vandalism increased," the report read.
The authority contracted events company Dionysus to conduct the audit to understand how concerning behaviour in the city affected public events and help manage risks for staff and people.
The government agency published the report after a Legislative Assembly inquiry in mid-May heard a contractor for the authority hired a security guard to "roughen up" their clothes and assimilate into the "antisocial behavioural group" in order to gather data on incidents in the city.
However, the authority clarified that the evidence given was incorrect, saying the audit involved "trained personnel in plain clothes conducting non-interventional" observations.
An inquiry into Canberra's night-time economy previously heard Canberra's nightlife was "worse now" than ever, with families preferring to stay in shopping centres than brave poor behaviour on the city's streets.
