Wellington City New World’s liquor licence is currently at stake. The central supermarket has been accused of turning a blind eye to years of violence, crime and alcohol abuse taking place in its car park after 11pm. As a result, police raised objections over safety behind the licensing committee, stating that – from June 2014 to June 2015 – the car park was the scene of 30 disorder callouts, 18 alcohol-related callouts and 12 theft callouts, not to mention a 30-man brawl that occurred last month.
The store’s managers Gary and Paul Baker, however, stressed that they have been addressing the problem since December 2014, using more CCTV cameras, night security guards and overnight illumination. In addition to that, they have recently begun chaining up the car park on Friday and Saturday nights. For their part, the police insisted that all of these actions were not enough to make a real difference.
The hearing will continue throughout the month of November.
