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Lock up drunks, say most Kiwis

By MSN NZ
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Lock up drunks, say most Kiwis (Getty Images)
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More than 60 per cent of New Zealanders think public drunkenness should be a crime, according to an MSN NZ poll.

The poll was published on www.msn.co.nz yesterday after New Zealand police arrested 369 people for alcohol-related offences and 291 motorists for drink driving in the weekend's blitz on alcohol and violence.

More than 1100 police hit the streets from 6pm on Friday until 6pm on Sunday.

They found 47 licensing breaches, 139 liquor infringement notices were issued and 115 assaults were recorded.

The trans-Tasman initiative, Operation Unite, deployed 9715 officers, made 2785 arrests, recorded 567 assaults and recorded 1281 licensing breaches in total across Australia and New Zealand.

Police were not pleased with the results.

"Success, for police, would be having a weekend free from public drunkenness, from young people being arrested for breaching liquor bans, from public-place violence fuelled by alcohol and from family violence incidents where alcohol is a factor," New Zealand Police Assistant Commissioner Viv Rickard said in a media statement.

"Sadly, that wasn't the case this weekend," he said.

Operation Unite was the first time Kiwi and Australian police have joined together for an operation like this.

It was an attempt to combat both countries' culture of binge drinking in public places, the ensuing violence, and to challenge the drinking public to take greater responsibility for their conduct.

Rickard said alcohol-fuelled violence was "one of the most pressing social challenges of our time", which costs us "millions of dollars each year and shatters many young lives".

The annual cost of crime due to harmful alcohol and drug use is estimated at $1.1 billion. Harmful alcohol use cost New Zealand an estimated $5.3 billion in 2005-06, New Zealand Police said in a media statement.

Police added that they estimated they spent $306 million or 32 percent of the police budget on alcohol- and drug-related offending and associated issues in 2005-06. On alcohol only, this equalled $172.2 million, 18 percent of the police budget.

"The 'drink to get drunk' culture cannot continue, or become the norm, and that is why we are taking decisive action," Rickard said.

Do Kiwis have a 'drink to get drunk' culture? Have your say below.

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User comments
I was recently in a district court supporting a friend who had been doing 155km in a 100km zone at 4am in the morning, unfortunately the only other person on the road was a police officer and he got caught and had to go to court. My friend was NOT drunk. While I was waiting in the public gallery for him, several other cases involving drunk drivers came up first. A 22 year old 3rd time offense got disqualified and sentenced to community service, and so did a 34 year old, and a 43 year old who had been drunk behind the wheel for the 4th and 6th time respectively. Then when a 55 year old drunk driver who was up for the 14th time got sentenced to more disqualifcation and more community service I was absolutely astounded. Do they have to kill someone before they do to jail?? Where is the sensible sentencing??. The judge wanted to send my friend to jail for his 1st offense, until his lawyer pointed this out and he got the same sentence as the repeat drunk drivers. How is that fair??
funny thing about drink driving only 25% of crashers are caused by so called drunk people that leave 75% of crashs to sober people . dose mean it is safer to drive drunk ? . WHAT ABOUT OUR RIGHT TO CHOSE DON,T LOSE IT
being drunk isnt a crime. except when the user gets violent or reckless maybe send them to a cell for the night or get them home somehow. but shouldnt they 5 0 be worrying about the..actual crimes.. not the "theres no mayo on my burger" though. like assaults, robberys, massive parties etc
Drunk people are disgusting, especially woman..they smell, their persona's are yuk..the whole concept is utterly disgusting. I'm no prude, just not into the alcohol scene, never have been, never wanted to be..too busy working, having a quality of life, and appreciating the finer things in life. Lock them all up and throw the keys away...
it seems to me that every one is complaining about the problem and not trying to solve it.get rid of the *** and it wont be there the stuff messed my licence up in 2006 and im getting it bak this year.some how i have learnt from my mistakes...maybe others can to
Well, something has to be done. Look at how many alcohol related deaths there are every year, and injurys, and damage to peoples and public property. Never mind fines, look at how many people have unpaied ones? Just send them straight to rehab. Because if you get angry when you drink you must have a problem. If your too drunk you obviously don't know your limits and need some. And if you just be plain stupid, your probly too young to be drinking, so you should get locked in the slammer for however long, depending on what you've done. Isolation, would also be good. And if there a drunk driver, death sentence. Because it seems to be a weapon now days.
We have all at one time in our lives got plastered or high and got into trouble i'm sure, if not, your either lying to yourself or, your just really dull, though my mates that never drank seemed to get in just as much trouble as us at times too. Anyway, for underage drinking in town, they should be locked up if drunk and the parents should be prosecuted and the youth made to clean up the street wherever it was that they got picked up from, of course this would be done the next day when they have sobered. If you drink and drive and get caught you should be locked up too, you may not kill anyone this time, at least you won't get the chance too, and for those who think drinking makes you staunch and cool, really , what dorks.
yes they should be locked away they are a menice to everyone and then when they serve their time they should be on a programme in jail as well as out of jail until declared fit to join in with the public in saying what is the worst public abuse drinking or smoking wacky tobacky ????
in my opinion if you are not doing anything wrong why should you get arrested? its a free world and if you want to be drunk let it be... some people need to be open minded
i say let them all kill themselves by drunk driving,less of those people round the better but it doesnt happen that way they always kill inocent people.if you get caught once GO TO JAIL .we had a family friend who drove drunk she killed another girl who was minding her own bussines. she also died but i refused to go to the funeral.they have no one to blame but themselves i feel nothing for people that drink drive they deserve everything they get...

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