Alcohol Help

A Miramar bottle store has had its alcohol off-license suspended for three days, starting today, following a Liquor Licensing Authority decision last month.

During a combined controlled purchase operation (CPO) in May last year with Police, the Wellington City Council Licensing Officer and Regional Public Health, a 16 year old male volunteer was sold a six pack of beer by an employee at the Darlington Bottle Shop.

Wellington Police Alcohol Harm Reduction Officer Sergeant John Lewis says that during May 2011, Police visited the Darlington Bottle Shop on two separate occasions when the duty manager was not physically on the premises. The second occasion was when the beer was sold to the 16 year old.

“The law is very clear – every licensed premises, be it a bottle store, cafe or bar, must have a duty manager present at all times in order for liquor to be sold. This LLA decision is also a timely reminder for all off-license holders to ensure they do not sell to minors.

In the Liquor Licensing Authority’s decision, the licensee of the Darlington Bottle Stop also had his General Manager’s Certificate suspended for a period of 60 days, beginning today.

Sergeant Lewis says it is extremely important that a certified duty manager is onsite to oversee all sales of alcohol liquor, to prevent intoxicated or underage people from being served.

“Police welcome the opportunity to educate off-license duty managers about their responsibilities under the Sale of Liquor Act and encourage anyone requiring further assistance to contact me at the Wellington Central Police Station.”

New Zealand Police
Police National Headquarters
PO Box 3017
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 474 9499

Extremely disappointed is the reaction of Waikato Police after a taxi driver was found intoxicated behind the wheel of her cab in the Coromandel today.

Waikato Highway Patrol supervisor, Sergeant Paul Scoble, said the arrest of a professional driver was all the more concerning given responsible people often relied on taxi drivers to get them home safely after they have been drinking.

“The woman was stopped in her company vehicle by a Traffic Alcohol Group checkpoint near Tairua shortly before lunch. With alcohol detected on her breath the woman was subjected to a n evidential breath test and returned a result of 568mgms.

“This result shows drink drivers don’t discriminate in terms of a preferred time of day to put other motorists’ lives at risk and it’s tantamount to a betrayal of the trust placed on cabbies by members of the public to provide a safe, reliable and sober service.”

Mr Scoble said staff manning the checkpoint said a number of drivers had complained how pointless it was setting up alcohol checkpoints during daylight hours but today’s result showed there is a genuine risk.

“This latest arrest follows a number last year where drivers were found intoxicated behind the wheel during the day. A number of drivers said the officers should be out catching burglars instead of picking on motorists but as a mater of fact about the same time the woman was being processed a man was also arrested in relation to thefts ex-car.

“Irregular, frequent checkpoints on our roads not only act as a deterrent to drink drivers they are also very effective in disrupting criminal activity. Not everyone who drives is a criminal but most criminals drive and we know from experience that impromptu vehicle stops are a very effective deterrent.”

New Zealand Police
Police National Headquarters
PO Box 3017
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 474 9499

Plan your night, make sure you have a sober driver, and most importantly, look after yourself and look after your mates – make your New Years one to remember and not one to forget or regret through alcohol. That remains the message from Bay of Plenty Police, despite many New Year events in the region being cancelled due to bad weather.

The Tauranga City Council New Years Eve events at Mt Maunganui were cancelled yesterday, while Rotorua’s Lakeside concert will now be held indoors at the Energy Events Centre tonight.

“We’re asking people to be sensible about their New Years Eve celebrations. Whilst many events have been cancelled and plans have been changed, we know that people will still want to celebrate the new year in some way,” says District Operations Manager, Inspector Scott Fraser.

“Please take extra care today, tonight and in the coming days, especially on the roads.

“The Bay of Plenty and Taupo have seen a great deal of rain in the past couple of days and this is forecast to continue. Our roads are already sodden and driving conditions are more dangerous than usual. Please take extra care out on the roads and drive to the conditions.”

Inspector Fraser says the changes in public events haven’t changed the Police operation for New Year’s Eve and the peak summer period.

“Bay of Plenty Police will still be very visible tonight in local communities and out in force around the District in an effort to reduce alcohol-related harm and to try and keep people safe.

“This is a busy time for Police, but it is now business as usual for us every year. We plan to be busy during this period and we have the people and resources in place to prevent and manage issues and we simply get on with the job that needs to be done.”

“It is our job to prevent crime and crash and ensure the safety of our community and we will be very visible and actively policing alcohol-related issues tonight and across the summer period to achieve that. We don’t make any apologies for taking a hard line in this area if it means we can reduce the impact.

“Alcohol is still a factor in more than a third of recorded offences and a third of all Police calls for service. It’s prevalent across all our statistics, but is a major factor in disorder, violence, family violence and road crashes causing injury and death.

“Sadly, it becomes an even bigger issue over the summer period, and particularly during the festive season, for the community and all its service agencies, including councils, Police, hospitals, iwi organisations, Government agencies and other emergency services.

“There is considerable concern about the increasing numbers of young people, particularly young females, who are consuming large amounts of alcohol in a typical drinking session – and particularly over the summer period. This makes young people more likely to become a victim or a perpetrator of crime, and they are less likely to make good decisions about keeping themselves safe.

“This is why preventing alcohol-related harm is a key priority for Police and our community partners.”

Liquor bans remain in place across the Bay of Plenty tonight.

Inspector Fraser says Police take a “low tolerance approach” to alcohol-related disorder or breach of liquor ban.

“This means that we will take some level of positive action.”

Inspector Fraser says this low tolerance approach, combined with local efforts such as liquor bans, are in place for a reason – to manage issues early in the day or evening, to prevent major problems, crime and disorder later.

New Zealand Police
Police National Headquarters
PO Box 3017
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 474 9499

A Westport man is in custody following the discovery of a large amount of home distilled spirits at his home on Thursday 22 December 2011.

Westport Police executed a search warrant on the house yesterday following a controlled purchase operation the previous day in which a person visited the house and was sold a 1000ml bottle of Whisky.

A 49 year old Westport man has been charged with ‘Unlicensed Person Selling Liquor’. He was released on bail to appear in the Westport District Court on 2 February 2012, but has subsequently been arrested again for misuse of a telephone.

Police recovered a substantial quantity of home distilled spirits at the address, including about 47litres of prepared spirits and a further 75 litres being processed. Also seized was a large amount of equipment including 50 empty spirit bottles.

This operation and the recent Controlled Purchase Operation at licensed premises follow on from a number of incidents where people, and particularly young people, have put themselves and others at risk following the excessive consumption of alcohol.

Westport Youth Aid Officer Senior Constable Don Abbey Police were conducting an investigation in illegal manufacture of alcohol as a result of recent serious events.

“The most serious incident we’ve had related to a heavily intoxicated 16 year old boy being killed on the highway towards Carters Beach after being hit by a car. We know that boy and his friends had purchased their alcohol from this address.”

The second recent serious incident involved another 16 year old boy being flown to Greymouth Base Hospital by the Rescue Helicopter in a serious condition after consuming home distilled spirits. Police are yet to confirm the orgin of that liquor.

Alcohol Harm Reduction Officer Sergeant Sean Judd said: “The community is well aware of the harm caused to young people having uncontrolled access to alcohol and it is disturbing to know there are those willing to supply them for the sake of making a quick buck.

“We all know the issues, we know the damage caused and the social costs associated with this type of offending. If you have any information regarding the unlawful sale or supply of alcohol in our communities then Police want to hear about it.”

Police are keen to see people enjoying themselves over the festive season and the sensible consumption of alcohol is part of that. However Police intend to take action in those circumstances where the consumption becomes excessive and causes anti-social or dangerous behavior.

Sergeant Sean Judd
New Zealand Police
Alcohol Harm Reduction Officer
West Coast
027 273 1558

Links between social networking and young people’s use of alcohol are now so firmly embedded that many users of both aren’t even aware of the connections, according to new research.

Studies by Masters and Honours candidates from the School of Psychology show that online computer and mobile phone use has become integral to young people’s drinking cultures. Alcohol marketing is now seamlessly integrated into young adults’ online worlds too – contributing to increasing risk and harm.

The studies are part of a larger three-year research project that explores the convergence of social networking and youth drinking cultures, which received $864,000 from the Marsden Fund in 2009.

Lead researcher, Associate Professor Antonia Lyons, says that research is now nearing the halfway stage allowing some trends to emerge from the three pilot studies as well as preliminary findings from more detailed data collection by three PhD students.

“Online culture reinforces the binge drinking culture,” Dr Lyons says. “It is being employed to organise events, communicate with people while out drinking, and enabling participants to share photos of their socialising and drinking online the following day via Facebook.”

Researchers talked with small groups of young people aged 18 to 25 about different aspects of their online behaviour, drinking experiences and exposure to celebrities drinking via pop culture websites.

Dr Lyons says while the respondents believed the links between social networking and alcohol promotion were pleasurable, fun and exciting, they were not aware of how closely aligned the marketing of alcohol had become with their online usage.

“For example many participants see themselves as ‘savvy’ online in respect to alcohol promotion and yet they spend time on alcohol brand sites, ‘friend’ them on Facebook, and engage in online interactions (such as playing alcohol-centred games or posting photos).”

The emergence of websites and electronic applications that link individual interests with alcohol products has reinforced understandings of the linkages between social networking sites and marketing. Drinkify is a website that matches a person’s musical tastes to particular drinks. One new iPhone cover has been designed to double as a bottle opener and it comes with a free app that counts how many bottles have been opened, and plays selected music each time it is used, she says. Other applications offer services that mitigate intoxicated behaviour; Drunk Text Saviour sends out pre-emptive warnings to a drunk texter alerting them they are about to send an abusive or derogatory text.

Dr Lyons says the research has also revealed that just as some people saw excessive alcohol use as a way of excusing behaviour – some social networking users were expressing similar attitudes about their Facebook pages.

Researchers are using innovative research methods like the use of screen capture technology to show what websites focus group participants favour and what specific parts of a particular website are meaningful to individual users.

Final results from the study would begin to emerge in the next six months.

Massey University
Private Bag 11 222
Palmerston North
4442
New Zealand

Police throughout the Wellington district are warning people to drink alcohol responsibly this weekend, as the festive season begins.

Police are partnering with health professionals and community organisations around New Zealand and Australia in support of Operation Unite, which aims to reduce alcohol harm.

Wellington District Operation Unite Commander Inspector Peter Baird says, “We want people to have a good time this weekend whilst they’re celebrating at end of year functions and Christmas parties, but we will be out there too, taking a proactive approach to ensuring that people are being responsible with alcohol.”

Inspector Baird says Police in Kapiti Mana, Wellington city, the Hutt Valley and Wairarapa will be patrolling public places, supported by Maori Wardens, Community Patrollers, Walkwise staff and health professionals, conducting checks on alcohol licensed premises and enforcing liquor bans.

Road policing staff will also be out in force in an effort to reduce alcohol-related crashes.

“We want people to enjoy themselves at this time of year, but more importantly, we want everyone to get home in one piece at the end of the night.”

New Zealand Police
Police National Headquarters
PO Box 3017
Wellington
Phone: +64 4 474 9499

Drunken violence will be the focus of a police operation across Central District this weekend.

The focus is part of Operation Unite, the fifth united stand by Australia and New Zealand to tackle alcohol-fuelled crime and anti-social behaviour, which sees coordinated action across both countries.

Alcohol misuse remains one of the biggest challenges for Police; an aggravating factor in at least a third of recorded offences of violence and family violence. Nearly half of youth offenders dealt with for violence have consumed alcohol. The social costs resulting from the harmful use of alcohol annually is estimated to be in excess of $5 billion.

District Commander Russell Gibson said: “There is no quick fix and it’s not a problem we can just arrest our way out of. We can only combat alcohol misuse through cultural change and that means every individual and every community taking personal responsibility rather than just leaving it to the Police and other agencies to clean up the misery it causes.”

Pre-loading of alcohol before going out is a significant issue as is binge-drinking. More and more Police are seeing people who are not just drinking to be sociable they are drinking with a mission to get drunk. Every one of those people is leaving themselves vulnerable and exposed to becoming either a victim or an offender.

“We want people to have fun but it is possible to do that and to stay in control. We are dealing with alcohol misuse every day and the purpose of Operation Unit is to highlight this unacceptable behaviour and the risks of excessive alcohol consumption. It is also about educating people about their drinking habits,” said Superintendent Gibson.

It is important to remember that there are a number of liquor bans in the District and consuming alcohol in those areas has consequences.

• Breaching liquor bans can lead to fines of up to $20,000.
• If you are found consuming alcohol in a liquor ban area, the police can confiscate all of the alcohol and search you and your vehicle.
• Anyone under 18 found drinking in a public place can be issued with a Liquor Infringement Notice which carries an instant $200.
• Adults breaching a ban face prosecution.
• Anyone using a fake ID or someone else’s ID faces conviction and a $2,000 fine.

If you are going out and will be drinking alcohol:

• Arrange safe transport to and from your location, whether that is a designated sober driver, taxi, bus or dial-a-driver. If you are paying for your transport, make sure that you put the money aside at the start of the evening so that you don’t spend it on drink and find yourself stranded.
• If you are going out with a group, stay with that group. Look out for one another.
• For every alcoholic drink you have, have a glass of water or non-alcoholic drink.
• Never lose sight of your drink. Although drink-spiking is rare it can happen. If you lose sight of your drink at any time throw what is left away and get a fresh one.
• Never accept a drink that is handed to you by a stranger.

Operation Unite runs from Friday 2 December and ends on Sunday, 4 December. The focus will be around drink-driving, disorder and liquor ban breaches and will also involve checks of licensed premises.

New Zealand Police
Police National Headquarters
PO Box 3017
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 474 9499

The Police and Community and Public Health have recently conducted Controlled Purchase Operations in Greymouth and Hokitika bottlestores. We are pleased to say that none of our underage volunteers were sold alcohol” says Carol McIntosh from C&PH. That’s a great result but unfortunately young people are getting hold of alcohol and usually it is bought for them by either their friends or their parents.

We all know about the dangers of alcohol and young people. Because of the risks the Australian National Health & Research Medical Council recommends that young people under 15 do not drink any alcohol at all and that 15 – 17yr olds delay having their first drink for as long as possible. They also recommend that if 15 – 17yr olds do choose to drink they should be in a safe environment, supervised by adults and drink no more than 4 standard drinks.

Parental supervision is key says Ms McIntosh. “When a young person is supplied alcohol by a friend they tend to drink much more than if their parents supply it under supervision. The research shows that if parents are the source of supply then young people tend to drink only one or 2 drinks but if friends supply it they drink 3 or 4 times as much.

Once school finishes for the year Police tend to see more young people out on the streets at night. On occasions when we have to contact parents they can be surprised to learn just where their children have been says Sgt Sean Judd Alcohol Harm Reduction Officer.

Parents play an important role in their children’s attitude towards and use of alcohol. If they provide fair and consistent guidelines and set a good example themselves as well as getting involved in their kids’ lives, meeting their friends and talking to their parents that lessens the risk of their young person injuring themselves or getting into trouble.

We will continue to carry out these Controlled Purchase Operations in both bottlestores and bars over the summer but we also ask that every adult thinks before buying alcohol for under 18s so that together we can keep our young people safe.

Sergeant Sean Judd
Alcohol Harm Reduction Officer
West Coast
New Zealand Police
027 273 1558

Wairarapa Police are urging young people, especially females, to keep themselves safe whilst out drinking alcohol in town, as the party season begins.

Community Relations Coordinator Detective Sergeant Bill van Woerkom says Police are urging women to look after themselves and their friends when they’re in town for a night out.

“Women must have a plan to get home safely, particularly when alcohol is being consumed and people have a tendency to lose their decision-making abilities.”

He says at this time of year when the weather is warmer and exams draw to a close, young people tend to indulge in alcohol and we want parents to know where their children are and know how they are going to get home at the end of the night.

Detective Sergeant van Woerkom says young women need to know that drinking responsibly, looking after yourself and your friends makes the difference between a good night out and becoming the victim of a crime.

New Zealand Police
Police National Headquarters
PO Box 3017
Wellington
Phone: +64 4 474 9499

The New Zealand government’s impotent Alcohol Reform Bill has provided the impetus for the Labour Party to release explicit plans for alcohol harm reduction as part of its Health Policy released today.9 November 2011

Alcohol irony – Labour commits to reducing harm from alcohol as Government embarks on free trade agreement negotiations that might stop any future government enacting them

The government’s impotent Alcohol Reform Bill has provided the impetus for the Labour Party to release explicit plans for alcohol harm reduction as part of its Health Policy released today.

They are proposing to act on some of the most important recommendations from the New Zealand Law Commission review of alcohol harm reduction that are missing from the current Bill. These include increasing the price of the cheapest alcohol on the market through unit minimum pricing, restricting alcohol advertising and lowering the adult limit for drink driving.

“By announcing these three bold alcohol reforms Labour has clearly demonstrated they understand the importance of turning around perceptions of heavy drinking and ubiquitous alcohol use as normal safe behaviour”, commented Professor Jennie Connor.

“These three measures are exactly what is needed to begin to change the heavy drinking culture. They are the top three evidence-based measures related to Alcohol Action’s 5+ Solution and are right in line with the recommendations of the Law Commission”, said Dr Geoff Robinson.

“It is ironic, that these measures are being announced at the same time that government ministers are travelling to Hawaii to be involved in furthering the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) process”, added Professor Doug Sellman.

“Under this new free trade agreement New Zealand may not be able to enact effective alcohol reforms such as these three measures, because they will impact on the business activity of global alcohol corporations. If a future government subsequently enacted such measures, they could be open to being sued by a global alcohol corporate that is part of the negotiated TPPA.”

Alcohol Action New Zealand