Taupō Police: summer time means more alcohol disorder

Alcohol fuels many problems police face over summer. Photo / File

Tēnā koutou katoa. The weather is getting warmer and the days longer. That means summer is just about here. We can all head outdoors and onto the lake to enjoy some relaxation time.

Unfortunately, with summer comes the issue of excessive alcohol consumption. We are not the fun police and we do want people to enjoy themselves, but we do ask for people to be sensible around their drinking over the summer months.

Over the last weekend, we had the Impairment Prevention Team in town targeting drivers under the influence of alcohol and drugs. I would like to say that they went away empty handed, but no.

Over the two nights they were in town there were several drivers picked up at checkpoints around the town. More than 15 alcohol-impaired drivers were removed from our streets, that is 15 people who were at a higher risk of crashing and injuring or killing someone, including themselves. It is disappointing to see people have still not learnt that if you are drinking then don't drive.

Senior Sergeant Fane Troy, Taupō Police. Photo / File

But the alcohol issues were not just related to the roads. Our people were busy during the evenings with disorder in town that was all alcohol-related. People consume too much alcohol, get into fights and then people get hurt.

Our Police Alcohol Harm Prevention Officer will be working with the Taupō District Council and licensees to investigate these and see how we can prevent these incidents from occurring in the future.

The easiest way is for all of us as individuals to take responsibility for ourselves, and our mates, to ensure no one gets into a position where they are at risk by driving or getting into fights.

Stay safe, Fane Troy.