Subscribe to RSSWere Train Users To Blame?
Auckland’s Mayor is complaining that people were bringing in alcohol on trains and buses for last Saturday’s league clash at Eden Park.
Len Brown said in a statement this afternoon: “At the weekend, people were bringing in alcohol on trains and buses, illegally consuming and carrying it in the liquor free zone surrounding the park, and taking booze into the ground.
“This must not happen again and in the events leading up to Rugby World Cup 2011 a repeat will not be tolerated.”
So did anyone who came to the game by train see boxes of beer being carried on board?
Fans exit trains heavily laden down with boxes of alcohol
What's in the orange wrapper?
Boxes of Lion Red hidden in their jumpers
Train users stagger to Eden Park
Over at Kingsland's bars, a quiet drink just before the game
The mayor has met with staff, Eden Park management, police, councillors, local board members and residents living in the surrounding area and is setting up a “mayoral taskforce to ensure there will be no repeat of the issues.”
There will be representatives from Auckland Transport, the council, chief executives o the park, Auckland tourism, local residents, a senior police officer and former cop councillor George Wood, chair of the council’s Auckland Council’s Community Safety Forum.
The Mayor says he was briefed by the park’s management on steps being taken to improve the situation inside the ground. He also visited neighbouring streets.
10 Comments
Hey Len - what about the bars in and around Kingsland that were reportedly doing a roaring trade?
If the PT system is responsible for bringing in fans and their alcohol, perhaps it had better be shut down!
I’m sorry but I’m getting more than a little fed up with this Police State idea than we can’t do anything that the police don’t like!
Chris, actually this “police state” is only enforcing manners, really. Alcohol is worse than most things when it gets out of control, so the police and the politicians have my full moral backing when they act against excesses. If you want to get piss-roaring drunk, do it in private please. Everyone else can get a happy buzz, but if they can’t manage to cut it off in time then they mostly got themselves to blame (well, that and our society’s making it so easy and cheap to get alcohol).
@max - well said. I detested the nanny state that we were heading down the road to under the previous government, but to say as chris did that we are becoming a police state in trying to enforce reasonable drinking laws is way off line.
Chris - we’re talking about public safety here - would you like one of your loved ones to be injured by flying debris thrown by idiots?
And chris - the Kingsland bars may have been doing a roaring trade, but at least they would have had staff watching out for drunks and cutting them off if the were intoxicated.
My point is that people were getting tanked in Kingsland - they were not coming in by train carrying alcohol - at least nobody has proved that they were!
Beer is cheap in NZ. And more convenient to purchase than in Aus
I never saw anyone coming in carrying alcohol, I saw a bit left at a few stations but not on the trains themselves.
The group of guys sitting next to me had managed to bring in a few bottles of beer each so perhaps the problem was the security at the gates weren’t doing a good job (they never threw any bottles or got rowdy though)
Nanny state. So beloved of the right and extremely handy for people who simply can’t debate the issues.
Nanny state. So beloved of the right and extremely handy for people who simply can’t debate the issues.
Lol - a few years ago it was “the left creating such a nanny state”. I guess ANYONE in government is tempted to use their powers, and it’s an easy response to shout “nanny state” whenever you disagree with things.
I’m perfectly happy with a nanny who reduces the likelihood that drunks throw bottles at me. We are not limiting people’s choices in their private homes, we are making rules as to how they are to behave in public. Big difference.
If people were drunk when they arrived, why were they allowed into the venue? It doesn’t matter where they drank first, if people drinking before the game is a problem, don’t allow people in when they are drunk, search people thoroughly so that they don’t bring their own booze in (as Matt L witnessed), and don’t serve people more booze if they have clearly had enough. What is required is sensible event management, not scapegoats or a “nanny state”.
Need the same system as the Christchurch horse races.
Everyone over 18 gets a wristband, and if they are drunk it gets taken off or if they arrive drunk they don’t get a wristband. Those without a band can’t buy beer.