Bars ordered to temporarily close

Two Tauranga bars on The Strand have been ordered to close and Bobby’s Bar in Mount Maunganui has had its opening hours permanently reduced following recent Liquor Licensing Authority hearings.

The bars on The Strand that have been ordered to close temporarily include De Bier Haus, and Krazy Jack’s.

The Bobby’s Bar has had its opening hours reduced.

De Bier Haus will be closed on Saturday and Sunday 22-23 September and a licensee and another manager will serve 30 day suspensions of their manager’s certificates between August and October after police found patrons on the premises were too intoxicated.

The manager was also on duty when a 16-year-old Brazilian exchange student, who gained entry to the bar, was allegedly assaulted by another patron with a glass and received serious facial wounds.

Alcohol Harm Reduction Officer for the Western Bay of Plenty Police, Sergeant Nigel McGlone says the licensee acknowledged the lapses in his management of the premises at the hearing and also outlined the improvements in the operation of the premise that have been made since.

"These are not necessarily bad licensees,” says Nigel.

“But the manner in which the premises were being operated on these occasions was not up to standard, and that has been acknowledged by them. The breaches will be dealt with by way of the suspensions and we will move on and work together to provide safer and more responsible drinking environments.

"If you want to take on the responsibility of selling and supplying alcohol, then it must be done responsibly and with diligence".

Krazy Jacks will close for three days from Thursday to Saturday starting on August 30. As with De Bier Haus, issues of intoxicated patrons throughout the same period were acknowledged by the licensee and led to the suspension being imposed by the LLA.

The duty manager at the time, who has since left the bar, has already served a 30 day suspension of her manager’s certificate.

The Drawing Room in downtown Mount Maunganui will also close for three days from Tuesday to Thursday from 21 August and its licensee/manager will have his manager’s certificate suspended for 30 days from 27 August.

Bobby’s Bar on Maunganui Road has its trading hours reduced from 3am to 1am in a move that brings the bar into line with other licensed premises in the area.

Bobby’s Bar had its hours reduced from 6am to 3am by the Liquor Licensing Authority last August following a hearing where incidents of disorder and intoxication were attributed to the premises.

At the recent hearing five police officers gave evidence of intoxication still being permitted to continue at an unacceptable level.

"It was widely known that Bobby’s was seen as the ’last place’ to go for a drink when every other licensed premise in the Mount Maunganui area had closed,” says Nigel.

"While it is supposed to operate as a brothel and adult revue premise, the vast majority of the patrons located there after other bars had closed were telling Police that they were only there to drink because Bobby’s was the last place open. Many of those patrons were too intoxicated to be on licensed premises and had no interest in the ’entertainment’ that was being provided.”

While Bobby’s Bar is no longer able to sell or have liquor consumed on-site after 1am, it will still be open after that time for the brothel and adult revenue services that it provides.

Bobby’s Bar licensee and principal duty manager has had her manager’s certificate suspended for 90 days from 3 September. She was the manager on duty at the time of the police monitoring and the LLA determined she failed to deal with issues of intoxication.