Disappointment over age vote

Press, 3 June 1989, Page 8

Disappointment over age vote

PA Wellington The legal drinking age limit of 20 was impossible to enforce, the police legal adviser, Inspector John Crookston, said yesterday. The department was disappointed Parliament rejected lowering the age to 18, he said. “Society has become much more violent and the police are fully stretched trying to police that environment,” he said. The police were so pressured they could not enforce the limit and felt it tended to produce confrontation rather than sociability. A survey of police

views in 1986 showed a majority in favour of lowering the legal drinking age to 18, he said. The National Youth Council said it was “extremely disappointed” M.P.s voted not to lower the legal drinking age to 18. A spokesman, Mr James Nihoniho, promised that the council would continue to fight age discrimination. Parliament had had the opportunity to “end a Draconian situation” where young people were considered mature enough to drive at 15, marry at 16, and vote and die for their country at 18, but not to drink until 20.