City liquor ban 'being flouted'

Nineteen arrests in one weekend

BY JARED MORGAN

Police are fighting a pitched battle against booze on Invercargill streets at weekends as Friday and Saturday-night revellers blatantly flout the CBD liquor ban.

A two-night police sting targeting alcohol-fuelled disorder at the weekend led to 28 arrests – 19 of those were for breaching the city's ban.

The officer in charge, Senior Constable Gordy Pay, of the alcohol harm reduction squad, said the operation, dubbed Impedo – Latin for prevent – was to clamp down on drinking and disorder.

The operation began at 9pm on both nights running through to the early hours of the morning – peak times for problems in the city.

Despite efforts to enforce the ban, police were finding little had changed, Mr Pay said.

"This (operation) just shows the disregard for the liquor ban – it's just being ignored," he said. "Everyone knows there's a liquor ban ... so everyone's hiding their drinks."

That was backed up by attempts to hide booze witnessed by The Southland Times on Saturday night.

The game was up for one man when a full bottle fell from under his shirt, smashing on the footpath in front of him as he was speaking to Constable Peter Crepin.

Others had stowed their booze in car boots, accessing it by folding down a section of the back seat.

Mr Pay said that type of behaviour was typical.

"It's an attitude of `I can do what I like; don't touch me, I've done nothing wrong'."

Saturday was in stark contrast to the Friday night phase of the operation, during which only six arrests were made – four for breaches of the liquor ban, one for disorderly behaviour and one for obstructing police, Mr Pay said.

The 22 arrests made on Saturday included 15 liquor ban breaches, a man arrested for breach of bail and theft, two for fighting and one each for male assaults female, assaults police, resisting arrest, driving and disorderly behaviour.

Nine minors (aged 16 and under) were issued with infringements for drinking in the ban area, Mr Pay said.

Two police officers were assaulted and one police car had its front passenger-side door kicked in while officers were on foot patrol, he said.

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt said the bylaw was introduced amid concerns about broken glass, vandalism and "intimidating" groups on the street with bottles.

Like any law, people would break it, he said.

"We wouldn't have jails if everyone obeyed the law."

One solution was looking at the effectiveness and number of signs notifying people of the ban, although the council had constant problems with them being "souvenired", and increasing the number of surveillance cameras, Mr Shadbolt said.

His deputy Neil Boniface said the council met police on a regular basis to review how the liquor ban bylaw could be improved.

The question was whether the liquor ban had "any teeth" in the face of those who tried their luck or were simply happy to pay fines should they be caught, he said.

CITY LIQUOR BAN

A liquor ban applying to anyone possessing and transporting alcohol was introduced by the Invercargill City Council in 2004.

It allowed police to arrest anyone breaking it or anyone who refuses to surrender liquor or leave the area after being asked to do so. Boundaries have since been revised and extended and the ban went 24/7 in 2008.

The ban area extends from Tweed St in the south to Herbert St in the north and from Queens Dr westward to Liffey and Leven streets, including everywhere between, excluding Queens Park.

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