Police take battle to drinkers in prohibited areas
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Wednesday June 10, 2015 15:44
Police Spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Christopher Mbulawa said via a press release yesterday that the police would now enforce a harsh regimen to ensure offenders stayed off places not designated as drinking spots.
“We have observed that after people have purchased alcohol from licensed premises, they go to undesignated places such as parking lots, streets, walkways like passages and other places not designated for alcohol consumption where they engage in binge drinking,” he said.
Mbulawa explained that after binging, such people would go on to commit other offences including public indecency, littering, causing noise and being a common nuisance.
The Liquor Act prescribes harsh penalties, which more than ever before the police would diligently enforce, warned Mbulawa.
“Anybody found guilty of drinking in a prohibited area is liable to a fine not less than P5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both,” he said.
His deputy, Senior Superintendent Dipheko Motube expounded in a later interview with Mmegi saying the indecent behaviour discussed by his boss included people relieving themselves anywhere and everywhere.
“Then you have those who decide to drink their beer and throw their bottles and cans out of their moving cars and those who slide them out of their car doors at traffic lights,” he explained.
“The Liquor Act clearly explains that people should drink in bars – or in their homes where there are facilities such as toilets. We have observed the tendency by some people to buy alcohol and stand at parking lots and streets to drink,” he said.
Motube said their concern as the police was based mainly on anecdotal evidence of the violation of the Liquor Act.
He said if left unattended the problem would eventually affect the country’s image and could even dent its recognition as a tourism destination.
“We now need to take more assertive steps to ensure there is order in our streets, roads and parking places,” he said.