K' Road gay hotspot Family bar would be forced to close at 3am every night if a Police plan to get tough on violent crime is accepted by the council. Telling the NZ Herald "nothing good happens after 3am," Senior Sergeant Ben Offner says the Police have requested to the Council for Auckland's licensed venues to be forced to close at 3am, and stop admitting new patrons after 1am. Patrons already inside would be able to stay there until closing time, they suggest. If the request is accepted, Auckland's nightlife - and particularly its gay clubbing scene - would radically change. Similar council-enforced bar curfews are in place in other New Zealand cities including Hamilton and Christchurch. Family bar's busiest time is after 1am on Friday and Saturday nights. Their resident DJ Starli says she's seen curfews in place from working on Australia's Gold Coast, and knows they don't actually reduce crime. "Rules like this actually make the problem worse. "Being forced to chuck everyone out at 3 o'clock means a whole bunch of people are out on the streets at that time with nowhere to go. And you'd get people binge drinking just before the bars close. I think it's a very bad idea." A GayNZ.com feature article on this topic is on the link below.