One major challenge for nightime policing in Wellington is the large numbers of people going into town already drunk - a practice long known as "pre-loading".
Now, Wellington police say that is being backed up with a new tactic - "side-loading".
This is where revellers hit the town to soak up the atmosphere but don't necessarily spend much, if any time at all, inside venues. Instead, they imbibe cheaper store bought alcohol while roaming the streets.
Wellington Area Commander Inspector Dean Silvester told police reporter Ben Strang that irresponsible drinking remains the main problem.
