The Community Policing Forum (CPF) of Elsies River says it will fight tooth and nail to stop a liquor store from extending its trading hours.
Shoprite Liquors at the Avonwood Square Mall applied to have its trading hours extended to 20:00 from 18:00.
In a letter addressed to the subcouncil, chair of the CPF Hamish Arries said the forum was against this request because alcohol consumption was a contributory factor to crime in the area.
“With this liquor outlet open for longer hours, especially after dark,” said Arries, “we anticipate an increase in liquor-related crime, such as public violence, domestic violence, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. The police have a victim-empowerment helpdesk as part of the social-crime prevention programme, and many of the cases reported with regard to family violence involve alcohol abuse, which is a huge contributor to social violence in our area.
Trading hours
“Later trading hours will increase pedestrian traffic at night, especially pedestrians under the influence who contribute enormously to the high death toll on our roads. Motorists having access to alcohol later in the evening will also exacerbate our high number of alcohol related road accidents involving motor vehicles. Police already have their hands full keeping crime at the Avonwood Mall under control, longer trading hours will place an even greater burden on their already limited resources creating a situation where crime in the vicinity of the mall will increase.”
The Avonwood Square Mall is next to the Rapha Pentecostal Church and opposite Balvenie Primary School. “Both these venues have events in the evening and longer liquor trading hours will see an increase in intoxicated individuals interfering in school and church events,” said Arries.
TygerBurger asked Shoprite for comment and the media team replied with the following: “An application was submitted to bring the liquor shop’s trading hours in line with the adjacent Shoprite Avonwood supermarket.”
