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Police enforce liquor laws but they will soon be exempt from
some of them.
The government has decided that bars at police stations will not be
touched by their crackdown on opening hours for licensed
premises.
This is despite the Police Commissioner saying officers should face
the same rules as everyone else.
Most bars are subject to the Sale of Liquor Act but police bars,
where police officers drink at police stations, are not.
It is an exemption that even the Police Commissioner, Howard Broad, wanted removed.
"We don't think the exemption should stay. If you are going to show some leadership around this issue then you should subject yourself to the same rules as everyone else has," Broad said in April.
But yesterday's review of liquor laws did not follow that
logic.
"Cabinet has decided that the exemption for our defence, fire
service and police should remain," said Police Minister Judith
Collins.
"There are lots of cases for it but one of them is police have to, after the cases and things, be able to be free to discuss matters without having their conversations overheard."
Police often faced greater consequences than the general public if caught flouting laws, she said.
"They run their bars very responsibly and they know that if they drink and drive, they will be caught and lose their jobs, so there's a totally different situation."
Do you think the police, Fire Service and Defence Force bars should be exempt? Share your thoughts on the messageboard below.
The other drinking venue to remain exempt from the crackdown on opening hours were casinos. Unlike most bars, they will not have to close at 4.00am.
Labour leader Phil Goff said there was an inconsistency in
having different rules applying to casinos and the government
needed to justify that inconsistency.
Justice Minister Simon Power said if there were concerns about
exemptions, the government was open to considering alternative
views offered during the upcoming select committee process.
Collins said: "Let's just wait until it goes through the select committee process, but I'm actually very comfortable with trusting the police who run the police bars, actually."
Add a Comment:
Post new commentcueboy said on 2010-08-25 @ 09:41 NZDT: Report abusive post
New Zealand has the government it voted for, a truely double standards government.There is simply no justification to have a different set of rules for the Police Fire or any other organization re the liquor laws.Perhaps we should reduce the high taxes on the ciggarretts recently imposed by this government, for a lot of folks irrespective of profession, a ciggy is a calming influence, we have double standards in this country, we are slowly crucifying the smokers, Alcohol is no different.
uw212 said on 2010-08-25 @ 04:44 NZDT: Report abusive post
no one is above the law. to say that a group is exempt open floodgates to other problems as seen when a drunk policeman while driving is let free from the courts just because he is a sergeant. so what is next... potentially a corrupt govt. the bottle is not the solution to stress. drinking a bottle of rum does not make the problem go away.NZ need to stop drinking culture
uw212 said on 2010-08-25 @ 04:44 NZDT: Report abusive post
no one is above the law. to say that a group is exempt open floodgates to other problems as seen when a drunk policeman while driving is let free from the courts just because he is a sergeant. so what is next... potentially a corrupt govt. the bottle is not the solution to stress. drinking a bottle of rum does not make the problem go away.NZ need to stop drinking culture
sultin said on 2010-08-24 @ 20:36 NZDT: Report abusive post
As an ex volunteer firefighter of many years in a busy rural town, I can vouch for the need for somewhere private to go and deal with the range of feelings that have to be dealt with in the aftermath of some horriific situations. Many of these involve people well known to the emergency services personel involved. Well managed facilities have saved many a volunteer and paid rescuer from stress related problems.
spud51 said on 2010-08-24 @ 19:36 NZDT: Report abusive post
I wouldn't worry about Police Bars because they are like hen's teeth and are being closed down anyway. I know one bar has only been open at least once in the past month and a bit so the public can sleep easy.