Unlike metropolitan licensees where police are pushing for a 3am lock-out to manage patron drinking levels, Mr Gigger said “the [country] pubs do it pretty well.”

“We’re working very closely with licensed premises to promote responsible drinking and behaviour; we usually work things together,” he said.

However, metropolitan police are pushing for the changes to be legislated, after only 70 per cent of licensed venues agreed to a voluntary lock-out.

The proposed scheme would ban patrons from entering a new premise after 3am, with those already inside allowed to remain.

It is claimed this will reduce the amount of alcohol-related crime.

But in Murray Bridge, the Bridgeport Hotel has already initialised its own lock-out system. Venue manager Matt Horton said it was implemented to heighten their control over how much people were drinking.

“While the customers are here, we can keep an eye on them and make sure they’re okay with what they’re drinking and how much,” he said.

“Obviously when people come in from another venue we’ve got no idea of what they’ve been up to and what they’ve been drinking, so it makes it a bit easier with the responsible service of alcohol.”

But while he said the scheme had been successful for the Bridgeport, where it only affects the last hour of trading, he did not support a blanket plan across all licensed venues.

“Every venue is individual,” he said.

“I think it’s very much specific to each venue.”

Murray Bridge Hotel manager Karen Milesi agreed.

Referring to Hindley Street in Adelaide, whose street crimes late at night are widely considered the catalyst for the proposal, she said “it is a very small percentage of licensed premises that have and create the problems”.

“Other premises don’t deserve to have those conditions imposed on their license because of a very small minority,” Mrs Milesi said.