This comes after the hotel has been working in conjunction with the South Australian Police and Port Augusta City Council to decrease the number of incidences once the pub shuts on Friday night.

But there was still a lot that could be done to stop the problem, Mr Kieboom said.

"Ideally we'd like a longer licence … (it) would lessen the people wanting to cause trouble, because they won't wait outside the hotel to pick fights until three of four in the morning," he said.

"The biggest issue we have is that unfortunately the police can't move people for loitering if they're not doing anything.

"There has to be a fight for any action to be made, and the street to be cleared … it's been getting better recently though."

But Port Augusta Police operations Senior Sergeant Rod Malkin is not convinced that the problem is getting better at all.

Senior Sergeant Malkin attributed the recent decrease in activity to the weather conditions and season change.

"The problem is still there, it's just that people don't go out in the middle of winter like they do in the summer months," Senior Sergeant Malkin said.

Mr Kieboom remains hopeful that measures the hotel is putting in place to protect its patrons are working.

Currently on a Friday night, the hotel employs three security staff and has another three additional "responsible workers" who do not serve alcohol, but rather work the floor for safety.

"The problem itself doesn't lie inside the hotel," Mr Kieboom said.

"(It is) when our patrons leave that people who are refused entry sit and wait to cause trouble outside the hotel."

Mr Kieboom said the venue wasin need of an extended licence so the problems associated with Friday night could "peter out".

Senior Sergeant Malkin acknowledged that there was contention with lock out times and licensing arrangements in the city, and that the Hotel Flinders needed to take up its concerns with the Liquor Licensing Commission and the council.

Extended trading hours in the city would mean that when 2am comes, people would not be cut short in the middle of their night out and then forced onto the street to deal with outside hooligans, Mr Kieboom said.

The Hotel Flinders has applied for an extended licence but it was knocked back by the Port Augusta City Council.

"The council obviously don't want to support us in this belief," Mr Kieboom said.

"I think it would be easier for us and the police if we have, say a 4am licence."

But an extended licence is not likely to be granted under city manager John Stephens.

“Not on my watch,” Mr Stephens told The Transcontinental.

“I don’t think the council’s going to be receptive to that.”

Mr Stephens said that the council’s reluctance to issue extended licences was setting a responsible example for the city’s young people.

“It’s the council exercising a little bit of restraint,” he said.