Warning after drunken turns on police

Press, 5 December 1988, Page 8

Warning after drunken turns on police

PA Wellington The Wellington police were attacked and abused by a large, drunken group outside a central-city nightclub early yesterday.

One officer was knocked down and injured as a group of about 30 turned on the police after they tried to stop a fight between two nightclub customers.

The police issued a stern warning yesterday about the incident to the public and to club and hotel licensees.

Inspector Phil Gillman said the police were in no mood to accept preChristmas festivities turning into anti-police behaviour. Bar managers must not allow patrons to roll out drunk on to the street at closing time. In the fracas yesterday, morning, the outnumbered police had to

concentrate on subduing the situation rather than arresting the original trouble-makers.

After they tried to sort the first fight out, the whole group taunted them and interfered with the police, Mr Gillman said. Four arrests for assault, disorderly behaviour and wilful damage of a police car were made as police took 20 minutes to control the situation. The injured policeman had several bones in one hand broken. The Hotel Association chief executive, Mr Tom Sheehy, yesterday agreed with most of the police comments. The association had regular contact with police on crowd-con-trol methods.

The problem of people leaving as a group at closing time was also unavoidable, Mr Sheehy