Police, hoteliers, Ministry unite

Press, 5 April 1989, Page 8

Police, hoteliers, Ministry unite

PA Wellington The police and Ministry of Transport officers have joined local bar management to combat the damage being done when drunken patrons hit the streets.

Sergeant Ray Beale of the Wellington police and Traffic Sergeant Don Barrell speak at two seminars each month for New Zealand Breweries.

They say that those in the liquor industry who make the effort to encourage responsible drinking will have their help. Those who do not might lose out further down the track.

Sergeant Barrell is candid

about his role at the seminars — he wants to reduce the road toll.

He knows hoteliers cannot stop people bringing cars to the pub, but he does think they could do more to encourage people to take taxis, or encourage one person to drive for the rest of a group. His suggestions of more food in bars and free soft-drinks for drivers have been met with a studied silence, though the idea of posters promoting local taxi firms prompted some discussion.

As one of the managers said after the latest meeting, “Putting food on the bars is just

throwing your money away.” What Sergeant Barrell really wanted though, was for hotels to keep under-age drinkers out.

“Of those 50 per cent of drivers killed on the roads who had been drinking the typical driver is a 17 to 24-year-old male, invariably a blue-collar worker.”

Inexperienced drinking combined with inexperienced driving is a recipe for disaster on the roads.

Young people drive by reflex, the first sense to go when drinking, he explains. Although dress standards were a way around the prob-

lem, hoteliers should still enforce the legal age limit, he said.

“The Ministry is bound to target those types of place where these young people drink.

“If it’s your establishment that gets this attention from the Ministry it’s probably going to deter your regular customers.”

Sergeant Beale said he was not out to victimise the gangs, but wanted it clear that there was not one set of rules for gang bars and another for the rest.

Only in that way could standards be maintained.