Wellington Police overall pleased with crowd at 2011 NZI Sevens

Wellington Police are overall pleased with the large crowd who celebrated the NZI Sevens over the weekend.

Sevens Operation Commander Senior Sergeant Simon Feltham says for such a large crowd of 34,000 people each day, the majority were well-behaved, with alcohol fuelling problems for a small few.

On day one (Friday 4 February 2011), 16 people were arrested at the stadium and 76 evicted. A further 18 people were arrested in the central city, at the conclusion of day one.

On day two yesterday (Saturday 5 February 2011), 28 people were arrested at the stadium and 40 evicted, with a further 43 arrested in the city overnight.

Senior Sergeant Simon Feltham says, "Police were concerned though about the severely intoxicated young women at the stadium yesterday, who were totally incapable of looking after themselves, so there's still plenty of work to do to reduce alcohol-related harm at the Sevens in the future."

The forward command centre in Tory Street last night allowed better coordination of emergency services personnel, who were stationed at the permanent base throughout the night, supported by the NZ Fire Service's hazmat/command vehicle.