KEY POINTS:
Temporary police stations have sprung up at Coromandel Peninsula hotspots to prepare for the influx of New Year's Eve revellers.
Police have rented houses at Whangapoua, Hahei, Cooks Beach, Pauanui and Matarangi to have a presence in those holiday spots that see a huge increase in population - and crime - during the holiday season.
The area commander for Eastern Waikato, Inspector Glenn Dunbier, yesterday told the Weekend Herald the temporary stations would ensure police were ready for any disorder.
"People generally behave themselves but you're talking about towns that are seeing boosts of up to 20 times their populations. People struggle to cope," he said.
The size and make-up of the crowds differed from beach to beach with younger people predominantly in the south and more family oriented party-goers in the northern beaches.
Mr Dunbier said specialist boy-racer teams had come from Auckland because boy-racers were a problem in Whitianga and Whangamata.
"We have a lot of them here - the specialist staff know all the rules and regulations," he said.
Police numbers would steadily increase in the lead-up to New Year's Eve and then would decrease after, although some of the extra staff would stay for up to a month.
Whitianga would be more strictly policed this year after disorder last year but it was thought the cancellation of the Mercury Rising concert in the nearby Dakota Fields could reduce the numbers heading to the town.
A custom-made cell similar to Mt Maunganui's infamous Alcatraz had been set-up in Whangamata, said Mr Dunbier. The cellblock last year held over 200 people for days in a row.
Last summer, there were more than 500 arrests, mainly for breaches of the strictly enforced liquor bans.
Mr Dunbier said planning began months ago after a debrief with staff who worked last year.
"You look at what happened and where you need staff and then juggle it around. Really the only change this year is Whitianga."
There was also co-ordination between emergency services so fire, ambulance and coastguard knew what each other's resources were.
Mr Dunbier said alcohol hadn't been a problem on the peninsula so far and urged people, particularly motorists, to take care.
"People come to the Coromandel to have fun and basically what we are saying is they can do that as long as it's not illegal or at the expense of others."
