The Manilow Method

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Different! :D

Nelson mulls 'Manilow method' to deter boy racers
07 November 2006
By DANIEL NIELSEN

Nelson police and the city council are thinking about using the "Manilow method" to disperse boy racers and boozing teenagers from its inner-city Buxton Square carpark.

The method - playing Barry Manilow and other easy-listening tunes through speakers in central city public spaces to discourage young people from loitering - is used in England and Australia, and could soon be in Whangarei and now Nelson.

The Buxton carpark borders several inner-city bars and has been the scene of plenty of fights and disorderly behaviour. A court judge once described it as a "gladiatorial arena".

Senior Sergeant Tony Bernards said Nelson police were working with the council, inner-city residents and businesses to improve safety and the Manilow method was one tactic being considered.

Nelson man John Pinel and Fresh FM programme director Jo Ann Firestone tested the Manilow method in Buxton Square on a recent Saturday night. The pair drove into the carpark, Manilow blasting from the car stereo, and sought reaction from teenagers.

Mr Pinel said "we turned a few heads but no one attacked the car or anything". He said the teenagers hated Manilow's music but had told him it wouldn't stop them coming to Buxton Square.

Mr Pinel criticised the council, police and retailers for not wanting to look at why there were problems in Buxton Square. They appeared to want to hide the problem, he said.

Safe City council community liaison adviser Ingrid Beach said Mr Pinel's criticism was typical. The council was doing more than just trying to get young people out of Buxton Square. It was also trying to get young school leavers into employment or training through its social wellbeing policy.

Ms Beach said another idea for improving safety in Buxton Square was redesigning the toilet block because the benches and covered verandah encouraged people to gather there. She said the options would be considered by councillors before being made public. But she ruled out installing more speed humps, because of the reduction in parking space.

The council had received complaints about puddles of vomit and urine in Buxton Square, boy racers drinking out of car boots and doing dangerous hand-brake skids, rubbish, violence and vandalism.

She said young girls were also going there to be "picked up". "We want to make it a safe place." Street ambassadors and Maori wardens were now patrolling the carpark during weekends, she said.

Sports Cafe manager Craig Bradford and Shark Club owner Steve Shepherd both said a stronger police presence would deter juvenile delinquents from hanging around the area.

Mr Bradford suggested police set up a kiosk like the one in Christchurch's Cathedral Square and said the Manilow method wouldn't work because boy racers would just "pump up" their own stereos.

- The Nelson Mail

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Bailiffs blitz Hamilton car fine defaulters
27 November 2006
By GEOFF TAYLOR

Fifteen cars were taken off Hamilton streets during a blitz on boy racers on Friday and Saturday night, and one motorist was so drunk he was driving on the wrong side of the road.

Police and courts staff combined in Operation Impact ? a checkpoint at a boy racer hang-out near Bunnings Warehouse on Te Rapa Straight. An extra sting in the operation was the presence of nine bailiffs who immediately checked for outstanding fines. ? They impounded 12 cars whose owners owed $41,000 and recouped thousands of dollars in fines on the spot.

Three other cars were impounded by police. Fourteen drink-drivers were stopped with one man caught driving on the wrong side of Avalon Dr. He was too drunk to take a breath test. A 16-year-old girl blew 4 1/2 times the legal limit.

The blitz involved 31 police officers, two booze buses and nine mobile patrols. It was a continuation of a clampdown on boy racers which has been under way for months. Sergeant Jeff Penno, who led the operation, said the city's police had impounded 86 cars over the last two months, mainly for speeding or doing burnouts.

Mr Penno said the public saw boy racers as a big problem but police were making a significant impact. Having bailiffs present had added to the success of the operation. "From a police perspective, it's vital to have a consequence of offending. It's a key partnership with bailiffs to ensure the fines are paid," he said. The number of drink-drivers concerned Mr Penno.

Another checkpoint on Gordonton Rd on Thursday night picked up eight drink-drivers. "Seven of those were so intoxicated that they were immediately disqualified," he said.

Friday's checkpoint, which stopped 2435 vehicles, led to nine licence suspensions, 32 traffic offences such as speeding and the issuing of 167 infringement notices.

The checkpoint began at 10pm, slowing traffic to a standstill, but within an hour traffic had thinned, which police attributed partly to communication between boy racers. Mobile patrols headed to other locations where they suspected boy racers might have gone.

Boy racers who regularly park on a service road parallel with Te Rapa Rd watched the checkpoint unimpressed.

Jamie Scoble, 20, thought boy racers were unfairly targeted. A few drivers spoiled it for most boy racers.

"They try to track us down but they're never going to fix it," he said. He said he never did burnouts. "These are $400 tyres. Do you think I'm going to burn them up? I never drink drive in my car because I love my car and I don't want to hurt anyone."

Corey Davies, 16, said he was a car enthusiast ? not a boy racer. "It's what we spend our money on. People come here and check out what's brand new on the scene," he said. But he conceded that later in the night they did race.

Mr Penno said owners who took pride in their vehicles were less likely to offend.

- The Waikato Times

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Police want bylaw to control boy racers
Friday December 1, 2006
By Wayne Thompson

Auckland's councils may have to get the law changed to make it easier for the police to deal with groups of up to 250 vehicles gathering for illegal races.

Councils lack the power to make bylaws that allow the police to issue infringement notices, with a fine of up to $500, to any illegal street racer. At present, police must try to achieve convictions for dangerous driving offences through the courts. North Shore police complain the present system is time-consuming and they are frustrated when having to deal with large gatherings.

After extensive campaigns in which cars were seized, Senior Sergeant Gary Hill asked the city council to consider bylaws for the Albany industrial area to help keep the pressure on boy racers. This meant nearly 60 streets would have bylaws prohibiting cars there on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and public holidays, except for those on bona fide business.

Councils lost the power to make bylaw breaches carry infringements when a section of the Local Government Act was repealed. But before the law changed, Manukau City Council brought in bylaws similar to those now desired by North Shore and other city councils.

Police want bylaws such as Manukau City's, which are still valid and cover 150 streets, mostly industrial ones but including Te Irirangi Drive.

"It has worked well for Manukau City's problem with illegal street racing and the activities of these people," said Counties-Manukau road policing manager Inspector Sandy Newsome. ?I'm lucky to have it here. It would make our job a lot harder without it. We can be pro-active and move them on and not allow them to perform on the streets. If they do turn up in an area which has the bylaw they will get a notice saying they should not have been there," he said.

Inspector Newsome said Manukau was still having incidents in which people were street racing and being seriously injured. But the bylaws, when combined with police tactics, were effective in large-scale situations. "It's here for when 200 to 300 vehicles pounce on the area, park up and start to perform illegal activities, pouring diesel on the roads."

Manukau city traffic engineer Bruce Conaghan said it cost $40,000 to put up road signs explaining the bylaw, "but it's a small cost compared with us spending $2500 to repair a road burnout, and prevent serious crimes".

North Shore City senior traffic engineer Robert Douglas-Jones said police were aware that street racer gatherings usually resulted in damage and violation of traffic laws. However, police could not legally move the racers on or impound vehicles until offences occurred.

Mr Douglas-Jones said a regional forum of council officers would look for a way to make it easier for the police to deal with street racers.