East Auckland motorists are being warned to expect to be breath-tested anywhere at any time as the country heads into summer.
Counties Manukau East Police community services manager, senior sergeant Anson Lin, says alcohol-related incidents typically increase at this time of year.
“The days get longer and the weather gets hotter. We’ll be enforcing our liquor bans and rules around the sale of alcohol.
“We also focus on drink-driving, so people can expect to see checkpoints all around the place at all times.
“People comment that it’s early in the morning and why are we doing checkpoints then, but unfortunately many people decide to drink, go home and have a few hours of sleep, but alcohol is still in their system.
“They get up and have a cup of coffee and carry on working and they’re still impaired.
“So that’s why we target those time slots early in the morning.
“The message is that if you’re drinking, make sure you have a plan before you go out at night.”
Another area of focus for local police heading toward Christmas is Operation Beaches, which sees extra patrols and a higher police presence in east Auckland’s coastal areas.
“They’ll attract lots of people coming to our area using the parks and facilities, so it’s likely to attract an increase in crime in the area in general,” Lin says.
“We’re in the last stage of planning in terms of Operation Beaches. It starts around Christmas and will continue all the way to Anniversary Weekend.
“We cover off about six weeks’ duration of a very busy time.
“In the next two to three weeks, with all of our partners in relevant areas, we’ll come together and have a discussion about how we can deploy the best in those times.
“We don’t forget our shopping centres around Christmas.
“There’s a big concentration on Boxing Day in particular around the big shopping centres, so people can expect to see more officers patrolling there as well.”
And police also expect to see an increased number of callouts to family harm incidents in east Aukland heading into summer, Lin says.
“That’s a combination of alcohol, financial stress, Christmas time, and family commitments.”
