Oamaru's liquor ban area may be extended in an effort to curb petty crime and to keep the streets tidy.The ban was introduced in 2003 through a Waitaki District Council bylaw and prohibits liquor in the historic precinct, harbour area and central business district.
Waitaki community safety co-ordinator Alison Banks yesterday said the ban area was quite messy, and gave the example of Reed St, one side of which was in the area and the other was not.
The proposed extension would include all of State Highway 1 in the town boundary and to the top of Wansbeck St.
Of 89 people surveyed in the proposed area, 55 said they had been victims of crime.
The main types of crime were littering and damage to letter-boxes.
A favourable percentage felt an extension of the liquor ban area would curb petty vandalism, Mrs Banks said.
She would now, with police and the liquor licensing agency, set about putting forward a proposal to extend the area.
She also wanted to tidy up signs, as many tourists had no idea there was a liquor ban in the town, she said.
