Here in Wellington we are counting the days to the
next local body elections. Incumbent mayor Kerry Prendergast is
campaigning on her vision of the city which seems to involve cafes,
aimless motorway extensions and visits by celebrity sports men a
sort of lifestyle magazine editor's vision of a city really. The
readers of one such magazine apparently recently voted our fair city
12th in a survey of global liveability. One wonders whether the
readers of that magazine where told about our city's bullying liqour
ban which is criminalising a significant number of the city's
ratepayers. Anyone crossing into a designated section of the CBD with
a container of alcohol whether in a car or on foot is liable to a
criminal conviction being entered against their names along with a
maximum fine of $20000. No disorder or drunkeness is required to
offend the bylaw. Simple possession of alcohol is enough. The mayor
and the police say that officers warn people before arresting. If
that's the message then it is not getting through to the officers
responsible for enforcing the law. I have seven clients at the moment
who are charged with this offence none of whom have been warned
before spending up to a night in the cells and being put at risk of
conviction. The police will also say that they have to deal with
offences involving alcohol in the central city far too often. I don't
doubt them but we should be addressing these substantive crimes and
encouraging the people who commit them to examine their use or abuse
of alcohol. Criminalising behaviour which is at best part and parcel
of the modern urban experience and at worst poor manners is not good
civic policy or the mark of a great city.
