'More police needed in CBD'

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The employer of a 47-year-old man, whose death at a Queenstown taxi stand is at the centre of a homicide investigation, says there are too few police patrols in the resort town's CBD.

Mark James Smith, a married father-of-two who lived in Queenstown for more than a decade and was in charge of the roofing division at Laser Plumbing for nine months, died after an altercation in Camp St on Thursday despite attempts to revive him.

Laser Plumbing owner Wayne Thompson said he was devastated by the loss of an employee and friend of 30 years.

Mr Thompson said he did not know how to describe what had happened, but he felt there were too few police on patrol in the town at night.

Senior Sergeant John Fookes, of Queenstown, yesterday said central Queenstown was one of the most heavily patrolled areas of the country.

Up to 10 officers were regularly on patrol at night in the CBD but police "cannot be everywhere at once", he said.

Mr Smith's death happened the same night as community guides returned to patrolling Queenstown's streets, adding to the monitoring of disorder and violence in the resort town.

Meanwhile, more details were emerging about the 11.30pm altercation that left Mr Smith unconscious, he said.

Police have recovered some CCTV footage from bars but the taxi rank was not covered by cameras.

Mr Fookes said a full picture of what happened in Camp St was starting to develop, but there was "still a long way to go" in the homicide investigation.

Police were keen to compile as many witness accounts as possible before determining final charges, he said.

A team of about 25 officers led by Detective Sergeant Colin Blackie had been kept busy following up information from more than two dozen witnesses, he said.

Mr Blackie said police and Victim Support staff were assisting Mr Smith's family – wife Fiona and two sons, aged 19 and 11 – "in any way possible".

Police want information from anyone who saw the incident at Camp St taxi rank or an altercation in The Mall or Morrison's bar in Beach St. The dedicated witness telephone number is (03) 441 1629.

A 34-year-old man, who has interim name suppression, was charged with assault and remanded in custody to appear in the Invercargill District Court on Friday.