Policy coming into play at city bars

Suggestion of drop in violence

EVEN without a citywide alcohol policy, Dunedin’s alcohol authorities are successfully pushing a blanket oneway door clause on the city’s bars and night clubs.

A district licensing hearing scheduled for last week was cancelled after the applicant — Carousel bar owner John Devereux — pulled his appeal against a oneway door clause being applied to his bar’s alcohol licence.

The clause was added when the licence was renewed in February.

When contacted, Mr Devereux said he did not want to discuss the reason for withdrawing the appeal but said he was not against the clauses.

He was concerned the three local agencies, police, Southern District Health Board and Dunedin City Council, had taken it upon themselves to impose a blanket 3am oneway door policy.

Ultimately, it was easier to accept the policy rather than fight it, he said.

Council licensing inspector Tony Mole said there were only a handful of bars left in the Octagon, Princes St and George St area which did not have a oneway door clause as part of their alcohol licences.

Those bars which did not already have it place would have one added when their licence came up for renewal or would be covered when the city’s local alcohol policy came into effect.

Under the policy all bars will be forced to operate a oneway door policy at 2.30am and close at 3am.

There is still no indication when the policy will become official, despite the council voting to adopt it earlier this year, Mr Mole said.

Dunedin alcohol alcohol harm prevention officer Sergeant Ian Paulin said there was no recent statistical evidence which show improved behaviour after the implementation of a oneway door policy.

But anecdotally there had been a drop in violence in the central city as patrons gradually left bars after 3am, Sgt Paulin said.

An earlier oneway door would not have much impact but the earlier closing time would ‘‘significantly’’ reduce the impact of alcohol harm in the central city, he said.

Oneway door clauses were effective because they reduced the impact of closing times by dripfeeding patrons away from the bars, into taxis and away from town.