Bars’ chain of breaches upsetting for police

POLICE are frustrated over two Dunedin bars getting stung for similar offences in the space of just months.

Alcohol harm prevention manager Sergeant Ian Paulin said police would be keeping a close eye on city centre bars Carousel and Branson’s after they had their licences suspended for breaching liquor licensing laws.

‘‘It’s quite rare for a second occurrence to happen in such a short frame of time,’’ he said.

‘‘It is frustrating, bearing in mind that they were firmly on the police radar for further checks and one would expect them to be having a higher level of diligence around their procedures.’’

Stuart Street bar Carousel had its onlicence suspended for a week after an uncertified doorman allowed the bar to breach its occupancy limit.

The bar’s owner, John Devereux, also had his manager’s certificate suspended for 42 days, and Sgt Paulin said police had ‘‘reached the end of the road’’ with his ability to manage the premises properly.

It was the second time the bar had been pinged for overcrowding this year. In April its licence was suspended for 72 hours.

Mr Devereux declined to comment.

At an Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority hearing on October 8, police alleged the bar exceeded its maximum occupants on July 28.

Its capacity is 50 people. Officers found about 60 people in the bar, while the doorman’s counter indicated 72 patrons.

Inquiries by Sgt Paulin found the doorman did not have a certificate to hold the position.

Mr Devereux told police the incident was a result of a doorman ‘‘blatantly not doing their job’’, and he suspected he may have been drinking.

Sgt Paulin submitted the incident had ‘‘disturbing similarities’’ with the previous overcrowding incident.

Police had reached ‘‘the end of the road’’ in terms of Mr Devereux holding a manager’s certificate, and he had proven ‘‘he cannot manage the premises in a satisfactory manner’’.

The authority found the breach was a result of system failures, rather than stemming from a oneoff incident.

It also warned those systems, as well as staff and training, would be the subject of ‘‘intense scrutiny’’ if it applied to renew its licence in November next year.

Meanwhile, St Andrew St bar Branson’s had its licence suspended for six days, and its manager’s certificate suspended for 28 days, after serving an intoxicated patron.

It was also warned a further breach would result in an application to cancel its licence.

In April, the bar’s licence was suspended for 48 hours after owner Jeffrey Smith served alcohol to a minor.

Mr Smith did not respond to a request for comment.

At a hearing, also on October 8, police submitted that at 2pm on July 25, they were called to a disturbance involving three intoxicated males outside Farmers.

Constable Max Holt said he knew two of the males to be chronic alcoholics, but he did not know the third man.

Their speech was slurred, and they smelled strongly of alcohol, he said.

When he was able to identify the third man, he found he was on bail, a condition of which was that he not drink alcohol.

While police were making inquiries about the incident, the men entered Branson’s.

When police entered the bar, they found the three men each had a jug of beer.

The man on bail was arrested for breaching his conditions.

The bar manager, Nicola Muir, told the authority she believed the man had consumed ‘‘a few drinks’’, but not enough for him not to be served.