Police op to keep eye on revellers
Inner-city’s Operation Summer aims to curb alcohol-fuelled mishaps over silly season
If you go down to the club this Christmas, you’re in for a police surprise. In a bid to reduce alcoholrelated harm and violence in public places, Auckland City Police will be out in force to keep an eye on partyand city-goers.
And they have a number of tips on staying safe — from looking after your mates to what to do if your drink is spiked or you are assaulted.
Operation Summer will run until February and aims to put a stop to many of the alcohol-fuelled incidents over the silly season.
Auckland City Police prevention manager Inspector Ben Offner said traditionally the CBD was a “focus point” for booze-related incidents.
And, based on historical trends, specific hotspots experience an increase in violence and disorder over December and January.
“It is essential that police are prepared to deal pro-actively with the anticipated increase in disorderly behaviour,” Offner said.
The weekends immediately before Christmas and New Year’s Eve were especially demanding in central Auckland, Offner said, with “high levels of intoxication leading to disorder, violence and subsequent victimisations”.
“We know that nearly a quarter of all public-place assaults for Auckland City occur in the CBD during this period,” he said.
“We also know that 42 per cent of violence in public places occurs within a two-hour period between 2am and 4am on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
“Traditionally, police have re- Police say central Auckland is traditionally the focal point for booze-related incidents, which can escalate over December and January. Operation Summer runs from now until February. sponded reactively to these situations.
“However, this year Operation Summer aims to pro-actively reduce incidents occurring in the first place,” Offner said.
Police from three different districts across Auckland will be patrolling the central city during Operation Summer. Offner urged people to have fun — but take responsibility for their own actions and look after their friends when they go out.
“We encourage everyone to have a good time over the holiday period but to do it responsibly and know when enough is enough,” he said.
“We will do what we can to harden our targets to discourage pre-loading of alcohol which we know contributes to violence and disorder.
“We will also be actively identifying intoxicated people.
“We will have high visibility at known hotspots and out on our roads too.” If you’re out and about at night always keep to well-lit areas. Keep bags containing valuables, wallets, purses etc close to your body and keep your cellphone where you can reach it. Walk close to the kerb and always walk facing the traffic. We’re all looking forward to the summer break so let’s work together to keep ourselves, our friends and our community safe.