He was not the one throwing punches though. 

For more than two decades, Wagga’s security guard has helped keep the city safe at night. 

Mr Hoffman – of Ollie’s Security – is part of the local night shift; an army of men and women, who work behind the scenes, while the rest of us sleep.  

Figuratively speaking, they are the guys and girls checking for monsters under Wagga’s bed each night. 

The unique lives of security guards and bouncers like Mr Hoffman, were shared in the second instalment of a three-part Daily Advertiser exclusive, exposing the pros and cons of a job based in the shadows.

But Mr Hoffman said the city’s nightlife was not as bad as it once was.

“The whole situation has changed a lot,” Mr Hoffman said.

“It used to be quite aggressive.

“It would be fair to expect you would be involved in “things happening”

He said it was the Liquor Accord that brought the violence more than a few a notch. 

“That’s the biggest thing in the past decade,” Mr Hoffman said. “Most of the work is about communication and talking now.” 

He said the banned from one, banned from all policy had “hurt a lot of people”.

It comes eight years after hoteliers and publicans launched the Wagga Liquor Accord, introducing the standardised alcohol-strength standards and lock-out restrictions.

But restricting drunken residents from being kicked out of one bar and just hopping on to another, was a unique addition to the state-wide accord. 

Related: Pubs take unified stance on unruly

A January report revealed more than 170 pub-goers had been banned from licensed premises across the city and were black-listed from entering pubs and clubs from at least three-months. 

Some are to are set to be refused entry forever.

Once patrons were on the list, Mr Hoffman said they did not want to go back on it again.

“The $550 fine from police is a fair whack,” he said. “Some people have to learn the hard way.”

He said 90 to 95 per cent of residents knew when a bouncer or the hotel licensee said it was time to leave, they would not be persuaded otherwise. 

According to Mr Hoffman, this had not always been the case. 

“I spend most of my nights talking now,” he said. “And most of the time they just walk out.”

But Mr Hoffman and his crew don’t just keep the pubs and clubs safe after dark, they also look after residents and property at events, car parks and outside businesses across the city. 

It is a job that comes with it’s own challenges, according to Mr Hoffman, who said working at night meant sometimes missing out on family time.

But he said the biggest strain was having to ask a friend to leave a pub or club. 

“Running into people you know can be a but hard,” Mr Hoffman said. 

“We may know who you are but we still have to kick you out if you’re behaving like a fool.”

Ashmont Hotel Licensee Andrew Behnke said the night-shift security guards played a vital role across the city. 

But he said it had changed across the years.

Related: Rewind Wagga: Exploring a long-time love of the drink

Mr Behnke said guards were once viewed as thugs, but now they were more personable and would attempt to talk and reason with drunk patrons before getting physical. 

“Would you come here if there were no security guards?” Mr Behnke said. 

“No.

“People need to come here and know they are safe.”  

For guards who get sick of navigating sticky pub floors and interpreting the slurs of intoxicated residents, there is another option:

They can join the security guards on wheels. 

But Tim Lewry, from G-Tech security, said the job was not as easy as residents may think. 

“It sounds easy … it’s not.” Mr Lewry said. “It’s more than just checking doors and windows.”

After almost two decades as a security guard, living and working in the dark, Mr Lewry said he was hard to spook. 

“People try and scare you all the time,” Mr Lewry said. “We had one guy even jump on the bonnet of a car just the other week.” 

But that was not the only challenge. 

In addition to changes to sleeping patterns, missing out on family events and spending time with friends, and sometimes a decline in general wellbeing, Mr Lewry said security guards often copped unwarranted abuse.

“It’s like any other rule enforcer,” he said. “But we’re only doing our jobs.”

Despite these factors, Mr Lewry said felt like he was doing good across the region. 

“People might not think of security as an emergency service,” he said. “But when an alarm goes off at a business or someone’s home, it is an emergency to them.”

It is one of the reasons Mr Lewry said he loved his job. 

He said no day was ever the same. 

“That’s what I enjoy about it,” he said.

“I get a kick out of driving around, working with the police and going out at night to check alarms when they go off.”

He said it may be hard for sleeping residents to comprehend night work. 

“You might not see us, but we’re always doing something,” Mr Lewry said. 

“You’d know about it, if we weren’t here.”

Catch up on the first part of the Night Shift series: Wagga residents keeping the city alive after dark.