Police warn of dangers of alcohol over summer

Jymahl Glassey, the senior sergeant for the Tararua Police is warning people to think carefully about their actions over the summer.

As this summer approaches Tararua police have seen a small rise in incidents that are impacting on people's safety and sense of safety.

With the change to summer Police often see more consumption of alcohol, an increase in personal stress related to Christmas, more drivers on the road for longer hours and more people congregating and socialising in public places and licensed premises.

These changes can sometimes negatively impact the community in ways such as drunk drivers putting road users at risk, families suffering harm from family violence, people feeling unsupported and unable to cope through stress brought on by the expectations of Christmas and larger numbers of the general public being exposed to disorderly or intimidating behaviours in public places and social settings.

If you are having a drink have you organised a sober driver? Do you know when enough is enough? Can you control your emotions and behaviours under the influence of alcohol? Are you willing to put other people's lives at risk by driving drunk? Can you afford a conviction in court and losing your licence?

If you are stressed have you talked to someone about it in thoughtful and beneficial way? How is your behaviour impacting on your family?

Are there better ways for everyone involved to deal with family situations than to have people harmed and police called?

If driving are you comfortable you have had sufficient rest? Is your vehicle safe? Are you willing to let your rush to get someone lead to potential harm to you, your family and others through avoidable accidents?

As well as taking personal stock, looking out for others as well as yourself can help with staying and feeling safe. If you experience or witness something that makes you feel unsafe or uneasy then you should consider reporting it to police.

You don't have to wait for something to go wrong before calling.

Police often receive calls from members of the public about things they believe are or can lead to a problem.

We encourage this type of reporting because it can allow police to become involved and assist in sorting issues early.

Police would like to wish everyone well through the summer holiday period. We would like all people in the community to be and feel safe through this time. Reporting matters to police early assists us with that.

People taking stock of their positions around some of the changes we see associated with the summer months is also helpful in avoiding harm.