Police say they are impressed with Dunedin’s student population after a relatively uneventful O Week.
The annual Flo and O Week celebrations have been a cause of concern for Dunedin police and residents for decades.
But Dunedin alcohol harm prevention officer Sergeant Steve Jones said it was important to give credit where credit was due.
The debrief of agencies involved had generated general comments about how they were impressed with a slow change in the student culture towards being better behaved and more responsible, Sgt Jones said.
Celebrations had been affected by Covid restrictions in the past two years, although similar good behaviour had also been observed in 2020.
While students got a bad rap from many members of the pubic, it was a very small percentage of the student community who were engaged in antisocial behaviour.
Non students, especially from out of town, had been dealt with by police a lot more than students, Sgt Jones said.
The relationship between police, the university, the Otago University Students Association and students was paying dividends.
"We’re quite proud of that relationship, and to be honest, we’re quite proud of our students," Sgt Jones said.
Off-licence owners in the student quarter had also noticed the change in behaviour, and were working with agencies to promote products that did not come in glass bottles.
While RTDs were still the drink of choice for most students, drinking patterns were changing. Zero and low-alcohol products were becoming more popular, which was something police wholeheartedly supported.
Police would continue to provide education and work alongside students to encourage better decision-making.
Ultimately, they wanted students to enjoy their Otago days in a safe and legal way.
"We’ve come a long way from the us versus them mentality" Sgt Jones said.
