Bars fall off the wagon
‘‘We are throwing literally hundreds out in a 10-minute period.’’ Bar owner Ricky Quirk
A much-lauded trial to close the city’s bars early in an effort to reduce alcohol-related crime has tanked.
A dozen Palmerston North bars agreed to change their closing time from 3am to 2am from May 8 this year in an attempt to stop people pre-loading alcohol at home and instead do their drinking under the supervision of their respective establishments.
The idea, originally said to be in response to police analysis that showed alcohol-related callouts kept them busy, particularly in the early evening and at night in suburban areas, was widely supported by police, public health and the city council.
But when the trial came to an end last month, the bars fell off the wagon.
The Daily owner Ricky Quirk said during the trial period more fights were breaking out when clearing the popular student bar at the end of the night.
The last hour of trading was when about 50 per cent of its patrons left, and closing at 2am meant staff were tossing out almost a full bar worth of people at once.
‘‘We are throwing literally hundreds out in a 10-minute period.
‘‘There seems to be a lot more street disorder, particularly in front of our bar.’’
However, he did think the trial had encouraged people to go into town earlier, which was part of the goal, and had changed their drinking habits.
‘‘Most people don’t turn up at midnight already full.’’
Gary Wright, owner of Bubbles and The Fish, said it was a business decision to return to the 3am closing time.
Closing an hour earlier had lost the bars about $4000 to $6000 a week, Wright said.
‘‘At 2am, everyone is pumping and we have to kick them all out.’’
Wright said he tried the idea because everyone else was giving it a go, but it was time to think of another way to reduce the harm too much alcohol created in the city.
‘‘There are so many contributing factors.’’
He suggested looking at models used overseas, such as charging more for alcohol sold in supermarkets or increasing the drinking age.
One of the positives to come out of the trial was the relationship it had built between police, local council and businesses.
Manawatu¯ area crime prevention manager Inspector Dave White said when the trial ended, police hoped bar owners would continue with the earlier closing time.
White said when police compared the trial timeframe with the same six months in 2016, there was a drop in calls to the central city between midnight and 6am.
In the previous year, police were called to 417 events, compared with 358 in 2017.
Disorder events were also down, from 140 to 86.
White said the Palmerston North City Council had drafted a local alcohol policy that included earlier closing times for on- and off-licence businesses, and submissions, which have since closed, would be considered in March next year.