Taskforce slashes liquor bans breaches

Liquor ban breaches in the central city have plummeted by 80 per cent as a result of work by the Mayoral Taskforce on Alcohol and Community Safety.

“Auckland Council staff have received excellent cooperation from inner-city off-licensees, which has contributed to the positive results,” says the Mayor.

To date, 86 per cent of off-licence owners operating within the inner-city liquor ban area have agreed to withdraw single serve drinks from sale.

“In the first week of the taskforce operation, there were 549 breaches of the liquor ban,” says Len Brown. “Since the sale of single bottles has been restricted, liquor ban breaches have dropped to 112 in the most recent week.”

Auckland Council’s Licensing and City Watch staff have noticed a decrease in other anti-social behaviour in the same time frame, and licensing staff are continuing discussions with owners yet to restrict the sale of single bottles.

The Mayor is also continuing to advocate for the government to progress the Alcohol Reform Bill to allow communities to have more say in the regulation of alcohol in their areas.

“The bill is the single-most important factor in giving the council and local communities greater control over the impact of alcohol in their areas, including limiting liquor licenses around schools, protecting public places and managing opening hours.”