KEY POINTS:
Bars, pubs and clubs will have to send patrons home at 3am under tough new plans to reduce violent crime in Auckland's central city.
Police will today submit the plan - which would dramatically alter Auckland's nightlife - to the city council with a plea for the 24-hour
licensing policy to be brought into line with other districts.
If the request is accepted, licensed venues would have to close their doors at 3am and wouldn't be allowed to admit new patrons after 1am. Those already inside would be able to stay there until closing time.
The officer in charge of Auckland's Downtown policing centre, Senior Sergeant Ben Offner, said he was not against drinking but the time had come for the district's relaxed liquor licensing to be tightened.
"Nothing good happens after 3am," he said.
Bartenders the Herald spoke to last night disagreed, saying the problems weren't caused by licensing hours but by the amount of alcohol people drank.
Since 24-hour licensing was introduced four years ago, nearly 300 central-city venues have been granted licences to sell alcohol around the clock, seven days a week.
Mr Offner said that greater availability of alcohol had caused harm in the community which could be seen in hospital admission, car accident and crime statistics.
Auckland Central had a much higher proportion of recorded violence between 11pm and 5am than the rest of the country, something police attributed directly to 24-hour licensing.
"Most, if not nearly all, of the violent offending in the city on Friday and Saturday nights and early mornings is generated by alcohol intoxication," said Mr Offner.
People from other parts of the region, where bars close between 1am and 3am, could go to downtown Auckland for a night of partying that often lasted until 8 or 9 in the morning.
Mr Offner said the problem was worsened by the increase in availability of cheap alcohol, which had led to young people "pre-loading" on liquor before they arrived in town.
"With the easy availability of alcohol they become intoxicated in large numbers and suffer harm."
He said 68 per cent of people arrested for violence or disorder in the central city were affected by alcohol. A third were from outside the district, probably enticed into the city by the all-night drinking.
In a 100-page report, Mr Offner called for the council to "show leadership" in reducing alcohol-related harm by reviewing the district plan, which governs liquor licensing, and by reducing trading hours.
Tim Martin, who works at Crowbar, which has a 24-hour licence, said the plan was ridiculous, as many places didn't get busy until about 2am.
"I think that's absolutely outrageous and it will affect a lot of businesses that comply with the law."
Making everyone close at 3am would result in a flood of drunk people leaving the bars en masse, he said.
Police say standard licensing hours would enable better policing, as they could roster staff to be on duty at closing times.
EARLY CLOSING
* Police want a lockout policy that would stop people entering licensed venues after 1am. This is designed to stop drunk patrons moving from bar to bar in the early hours of the morning.
* People already inside a bar would be able to stay until 3am, at which time the venue would officially close.
* Off-license outlets would have to closed at 11pm.
