Winnies last call for many drunk offenders

Queenstown bars and restaurants such as Winnies on Queenstown Mall, had huge crowds of revellers...
Revellers line up outside Queenstown bar Winnies. Photo: ODT files
Queenstown bar Winnies has been revealed as the final watering hole for a quarter of intoxicated offenders dealt with by resort police.

But the bar's owner said that was because there were simply more people coming through the door.

Statistics released under the Official Information Act show 725 offenders over the past three years told police where they had their last drink.

Winnies accounted for 184 of those.

It was streets ahead of resort bars Bungalow, on 68, and Cowboys, on 57.

Winnies owner Mike Burgess said the bar was "exceptionally busy", and the sheer number of people visiting the bar meant it was more likely to feature highly in the statistics.

"I meet with police on a regular basis," he said.

Police initially refused to name the bars, saying releasing the information would "unreasonably prejudice the commercial position of the person (licensee)".

They only released the information after Mountain Scene complained to the Ombudsman, and they "reconsidered" the request.

They also said the numbers should be taken with a grain of salt.

The names of bars were given by people who had consumed alcohol, so the data might not be entirely accurate, they said.

Bungalow owner Daniel Taiaroa said the statistics were disappointing.

"It is especially disappointing given the measures we take to encourage safe transport options home and especially given we are located in the middle of Camp St with the taxi rank and bus stop on our front door step.

"It is a difficult metric to use given that whilst someone is unable to legally operate a vehicle, that same person may be perfectly fine to be in a licensed venue."

Cowboys did not respond to a request for comment. 

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