Booze ban to stop ‘hustling’

A temporary liquor ban in Linwood could become permanent after residents said they did not feel safe.

The Christchurch City Council has unanimously approved the

24-7, six-month ban between Fitzgerald Ave, Hereford St and England St to tackle alcohol-fuelled misbehaviour that was affecting ‘‘the commercial viability of the shops’’ in the area.

The council investigated the community’s concerns after the Linwood-Central-Heathcote community board in November made an urgent request to consider a ban.

Its report found a small number of people were drinking at bus stops and in the Doris Lusk Reserve, on the coroner of Stanmore Rd and Worcester St, most days. This led to ‘‘issues of ‘hustling’ or proactive/aggressive begging’’ and ‘‘substantial littering’’.

Linwood Village business owners lobbied for a liquor ban in

2014 and 2016, but police said then they did not have the resources to enforce it.

Now police supported the idea as ‘‘an effective tool to address alcohol-related offending and intimidation’’ after a 50 per cent increase in call-outs to Linwood Village over the last six months.

Last week, police told councillors they needed the power to ask people caught drinking in public to tip out their alcohol, or make arrests if necessary.

‘‘Police are currently unable to intervene until a law is broken and are concerned this inability to act may lead to potentially dangerous situations escalating,’’ the council’s report said.

Central city councillor and community board member Deon Swiggs said residents and business owners in the area were ‘‘over the moon’’ when they heard a temporary ban had been put in place.

‘‘I think it will go a long way towards helping the area, because it was a coming together space for people to drink, and that was causing some of the issues,’’ he said.

The community board would monitor the effectiveness of the ban alongside police and groups working in and around Linwood Village. Swiggs said he hoped it would be made permanent if it worked.

A recent Salvation Army survey of Linwood residents found crime, poverty and a sense of being forgotten or judged by those outside the community were among their main concerns.

Swiggs said alcohol was just one issue, pointing to the presence of gangs and synthetic cannabis as others. He hoped the liquor ban would not ‘‘band aid’’ over wider concerns about homelessness and poverty.

Local mental health service Te Whare Roimata Trust told the council alcohol was a factor, but ‘‘not the key issue’’.

‘‘Rather the prevalence and widespread use of synthetic drugs is of greater concern,’’ the council report said.

Swiggs said a deputation of homeless people told the council they supported the liquor ban. They said most of the people drinking on Linwood’s streets had homes to go to and believed limits on their ability to congregate would lead to less ‘‘heavy’’ use.

‘‘They were saying the streets are their home and they don’t want it to be tarnished by the reputation of it being a bad place to be,’’ Swiggs said.

Council will review the ban next year. It has also endorsed a new Alcohol Action Plan, which aims to reduce alcohol-related crime in Christchurch. The plan involves boosting high-visibility policing, investigating how to stop minors accessing alcohol, and encouraging events to have alcohol-free marketing.