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A bottle of bourbon thrown into a fire truck set the stage for those trying to keep a popular Coromandel town safe on New Year’s Eve.
Whangamatā volunteer firefighter Dave Ryan was on duty with his squad Thursday night and the crew witnessed six incidents, most of which involved youth “worse off due to liquor.”
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Police made 22 arrests after attending “mess” work.
It was the same night that hundreds of young people made a big mess outside the Blackies Cafe in Williamson Park.
Bottles thrown into the crowd caused head injuries to a couple of girls, prompting police to use riot gear to disperse the crowd.
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Teens gathered around Blackies Cafe Thursday night.
Ryan said someone would have provided alcohol to many of the youth in town that night.
“They even threw a bottle of bourbon into the fire apparatus, we just lost the driver and hit the mirror.
“The night before we had a police officer who was assaulted in Williamson Park, hit in the face.
“These people have no respect for anyone and that is really the situation that the courts have to deal with.”
Ryan was also a member of the Whangamatā Community Board and believed that a large number of those who caused trouble were from out of town.
“Many young people come here to cause problems and then leave, that was demonstrated last night [New Year’s Eve].
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The ‘disorder’ resulted in police using riot gear to drive people away from the cafe.
“There is no easy solution, but parents must be held accountable, many of these young people are only 15 or 16 years old.”
Ryan said he hoped the rest of the weekend would go smoothly.
“The police were fantastic here last night [Thursday]. The amount of officers they had in the city was incredible and we hope there are no more problems.
“If there are, they will be resolved fairly quickly.”
Simon Friar, a longtime Whangamatā resident, said there appeared to be a “group of little buggers” causing mischief wherever they went.
“They would be responsible for the vast majority of the problems that occurred. And then there would be a group of spectators participating in part of the mess.
“It would be better if they go home and leave the toughest group to do their thing and then be treated by the police accordingly.”
Friar is a former Waikato Regional Council councilor and a former police detective sergeant.
He agreed, it was necessary to organize some kind of event so that the young people of the city could do something at this time of year.
“We had a good event at Joe’s Farm [on New Year’s Eve], no one causing trouble.
“With these things in Williamson Park, you wonder why the city council doesn’t allow some entertainment to keep them busy.
“I think it would help reduce the local disorder.”
