Council backs booze crackdown proposal

Moves to make criminals of people who drink in a public place, and the creation of "drunk tanks" to accommodate drinkers as they sober up, are being supported by Wellington City Council.

The recommendations are included in a Law Commission consultation document issued this year. It contains a range of proposed law changes aimed at curing the multibillion-dollar ills caused by alcohol abuse.

The council already has a 24-hour liquor ban covering the city centre, Aro Valley and the Mt Victoria summit but supports a proposal to make it an offence to drink alcohol in all public places - although it wants the ability to apply for special exemptions to the law.

The move would not only make criminals of people boozing in public but also could potentially do the same to those having a glass of wine at a picnic.

Councillor Iona Pannett accepts there is a problem with New Zealand's drinking culture but is unconvinced that making public drinking an offence is the correct way to handle it.

"If mum and dad are having a wine on the beach while the kids play, should that be seen as a criminal offence? You are essentially criminalising people, and it is something that concerns me."

The council's submission to the Law Commission also supports the creation of drunk tanks where heavily intoxicated people who are not charged with a criminal offence, but pose a significant concern to their own or others' safety, could be temporarily held to sober up.

Ms Pannett said detox centres would offer a better alternative to boozed-up youngsters being left to fend for themselves. "I would rather they were in there than facing serious assaults or rapes out on the street."

Federation of Wellington Progressive and Residents Associations secretary Tom Law was unsure how the drunk tanks would work. "They sound like a good idea but they would invoke the nimby ideal in some people - build them, but not in my backyard."

Teenagers are also targeted in the submission, which supports the idea of a split age for buying alcohol - 18 years in pubs, clubs and restaurants but 20 in off-licence premises such as bottle stores and supermarkets.

A Research New Zealand poll showed Kiwis were evenly divided on the merits of the move. Nearly three-quarters thought lowering the drinking age to 18 in 1999 had a negative impact on society.

And 63 per cent agreed with the commission's recommendation that anyone found drunk in a public place should be instantly fined.

Laurie Gabites, the council's city safety manager, said councillors would consider the submission to the Law Commission this week. "We are presenting it as a suite of options for them to explore." He would not comment further until councillors had seen the submission.