Police have been asked to monitor alcohol-related crime and disorder in the Queenstown Lakes district to give more weight to future reviews of the Alcohol Ban Bylaw.
In a report to the Queenstown Lakes District Council on its 2014 bylaw, regulatory manager Lee Webster said the council-appointed hearings panel of Crs Mel Gazzard, Simon Stamers-Smith and Calum MacLeod, recommended the proposed bylaw be adopted without amendment.
They also resolved to request police in Queenstown and Wanaka monitor the situation and a letter had been sent to the police to action that.
In October, the Otago Daily Times reported police had made a submission on the bylaw, recommending that year-round bans on alcohol in public areas, currently in force from 10pm to 8am, begin at 8pm.
That was to help reduce alcohol-related harm stemming from an increase in people drinking and congregating on the Queenstown waterfront by Marine Pde.
At the time, Mr Webster said it was ''questionable'' there was sufficient evidence to justify an extension to the ban hours.
The police also sought extensions to alcohol ban areas in Wanaka and Hawea, something which was also likely to fall short of the statutory test.
In his latest report, Mr Webster said enforcement under the Act was ''solely a police responsibility'' but the panel believed a higher police presence on the streets would reduce the issues.
Nine submissions were received on the bylaw, described by Mr Webster as a ''blunt instrument which affects all people, regardless of their behaviour''.
The hearings panel believed the low number of submissions indicated ''most of the community was satisfied with the provisions proposed''.
A separate initiative would address the size of available rubbish bins and the frequency with which they are emptied.
The council will be asked to adopt the bylaw at its full meeting in Queenstown tomorrow.
