Alcohol seen as main cause of violence

Alcohol is the main cause of violence in Queenstown and more police are needed on streets, according to some public and private operators in the resort who were surveyed by students from the University of Otago.

Geography students Anne Douma and Ben Wilkinson, of Dunedin, last week interviewed 20 representatives of the police, Community Law Centre, community welfare, business owners, employees, residents and the media, as well as 40 to 50 tourists.

The title of their group project was "Hide and Seek: Perceptions of Violence in the Public-Private Spheres of Queenstown".

The seven students in the group aimed to assess the "potential bias" of different informant groups and the impact it had on Queenstown's image as a "violent town".

They also intended to investigate the influence the media had in reporting violence in the resort, along with any factors which might be causing violence.

Data from interviews with participants will be used to analyse the contrast between perceptions of violence in public and private "spheres".

The students will also attempt to identify any links between perspectives on violence in public and private spheres.

While research was in the early stages and conclusions were yet to be drawn, Miss Douma and Mr Wilkinson said there were mixed views on whether Queenstown was violent.

However, alcohol abuse was seen as the root cause of violence.

Participants were in favour of having community guides, but wanted more police officers on patrol.

Urban design was discussed by a Queenstown Lakes District Council interviewee.

Visitors did not appear aware of any violence in the resort, the students said.