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Current Issues
24 Hour Licensing?
The
following reearch evidence was prepared
in support of the Medical Officer of Health, Hutt Valley Health
at a hearing of the Liquor Licensing Authority on applications from Kapiti Pak ‘N Save or Petone Pak ‘N Save
for licence extensions to permit the sale of beer and wine 24 hours a
day.
Summary
International
studies have shown that:
- Increases
in hours and days of trading are consistently related to
increases in alcohol related harm, including traffic injury,
street disorder and violence.
- Even small or
local changes in hours of sale have significant local impacts.
- Changed hours
of trading have however shown little effect on total sales.
This
indicates that later and longer hours for alcohol sales contributed
disproportionately to heavier drinking and drunken behaviour.
New Zealand research since
the 1989 Act shows that:
-
Late closing and last closing premises are the premises most likely to require policing, and problems have been resolved by cutting back their hours of trading.
-
Premises that open later than others in an area attract ‘migrating’ drinkers, with increased street disorder.
-
Young males are the heaviest drinkers and beer, sold now by supermarkets, is their drink of choice.
-
Teenage binge-drinking of take-away alcohol has been increasing over the 1990s.
-
Minors have reported a lower rate of refusals from supermarkets than other sources.
All the
above findings indicate that it is likely that access by young and
heavier drinkers to 24 hour beer and wine from Kapiti or Petone Pak
’ N Save or any other supermarket will contribute to local levels of
alcohol related harm.
- Contents
Overseas research on impact of Increased hours of trading: