Bars: one strike and you're out

Patrons trespassed from one bar for two years or less may be banned for a similar time from six other bars in the central city as part of a tough initiative likely to be launched this weekend.

Bar owners say they hope the blanket ban will make patrons think twice before playing up if they know they won't be able to drink at so many of the city's bars.

Pig & Whistle, Hennessy's Irish Bar, The Lava Bar, The Shed Bar, The Grumpy Mole Saloon, Barbarella and Pheasant Plucker are all part of the initiative and other bars are being invited to sign up.

The scheme was instigated by the Rotorua's CBD Alcohol Accord, an organisation set up by the Rotorua District Council, central business district licensees, Rotorua police, Toi Te Ora Public Health and Hospitality Association of New Zealand (HANZ). The accord is an agreement that sets out responsibilities of licensed premises.

Pig & Whistle bar manager Bevan Brake said he hoped people would realise they "can't go into town week after week causing trouble".

"It's a good way for the bars to try and clean up that element of Rotorua and keep it safe."

Mr Brake said this year about six people had been issued with trespass notices by him for a variety of incidents including fighting and verbal abuse.

The Lava Bar's bar manager, Garth Martin, said at least 40 people had been trespassed from the bar this year for various bad behaviour including violence, verbal abuse, inappropriately touching an other patron, stealing drinks, damaging property or ignoring requests by staff to leave.

He said the new initiative was fantastic.

"The whole of Rotorua will see a decrease in alcohol-related activity through the trouble makers being weeded out."

CBD Alcohol Accord chairman and HANZ regional manager Alan Sciascia said the scheme was a proactive effort by licensees to stop alcohol-related disorder in the central city.

However, he said the blanket ban would not be automatic.

Once a patron was trespassed from a bar, the seven bar owners would meet before deciding whether to trespass that person from all of the bars. Normally a trespass notice was issued for two years but the blanket ban could apply to others who were trespassed for shorter times, Mr Sciascia said.

He said the bar which initially trespassed the person would provide all details and a photo of that person which would be passed on to the other bar owners and placed somewhere for only staff to see.

Only those bars which were open late had been targeted but others in the central city would be invited to join.

Pheasant Plucker owner Ivan Purvis said he had not issued a trespass notice since he took over the Arawa St bar just over a year ago.

He wanted to be part of the scheme to ensure his bar did not attract those already trespassed from other bars.

"I don't want to become a haven for people who have been banned from every other pub bar mine."



A similar scheme had been operating in Whakatane among six bars for several years and Senior Sergeant Bruce Jenkins of Whakatane police said it was working reasonably well but did not know how many patrons had been subject to the blanket ban.