​New liquor ban signage to improve park safety

Community leaders are working to make parks in the Albert-Eden ward safer with better liquor ban signage, security and police patrols.

The Albert-Eden Local Board, Unitec and Friends of Oakley Creek community group are working together to restore public confidence and safety in areas such as Mt Eden, Mt Albert and Sandringham which did not receive new liquor ban signs on time.

Albert-Eden Local Board member, Margi Watson, said that signs should have been up all across Auckland once the new alcohol control bylaw took effect on October 31 last year.

Mrs Watson said that the board was pushing for the correct signage to be put up “as soon as possible”.

“We want all of our parks to be safe places, to be used by lots of people and people feel really secure when they go in there.”

Mrs Watson said the signage would be accompanied by a “stencil on the footpath”.

The stencil would notify visitors that they were entering a 24-hour liquor ban area.

Mrs Watson said park areas across Auckland which were targeted by alcohol consumers create an unsafe environment.

Mrs Watson said a core issue was the safety surrounding alcohol at the parks.

“Even though we have got signage in the 24-hour liquor ban parks, people are ignoring the rules and continuing to drink alcohol.”

Following a meeting with police, Mrs Watson said “they [police] are now ready to undertake mobile and foot patrols in the parks where there are 24-hour liquor bans. They are about to enforce it within their staffing abilities”.

In 24-hour liquor ban areas, temporary signage is present but without proper signage, the bylaw becomes difficult to enforce.

Following a breach of the bylaw, police can issue an instant $250 fine.

However, police cannot prosecute without signage, and Albert-Eden Local Board deputy chair, Glenda Fryer, thinks that improved signage will help increase safety in the area.

Mrs Fryer also addressed the importance of having a phone number on the signs.

“It is no good if there is drinking going on at the park and no one knows who to call, signage is a really important tool in our grab bag.”