Patrolling the city streets at the weekend throws up many sad sights and is not for the faint-hearted, Belinda Feek finds.

Wrapped in a piece of clothing not much larger than a tea towel, the young woman is a sorry sight splayed in the gutter on Hamilton's Victoria St.

She's just vomited. Well, it is 2am after all.

The Waikato Times joined Sergeant Murray Stapp and his team on the streets of Hamilton's bar scene on Saturday night to witness the state young women get themselves into. Waikato adult sexual assault co-ordinator Detective Nicola Cornes says there have been a high number of sexual assaults in the city in recent months – most of which could have been avoided if people looked after their mates, and kept aware of the surroundings.

"We have concerns in that a number of women have placed themselves into a position where (recalling events) is a problem and we haven't been able to process their complaints. In recent weeks. It's not just women but men who have been placing themselves in vulnerable positions too."

Mrs Cornes says people should make a pact with their mates when they go into town – stick together, have a place to meet up if someone gets lost and if one decides to stay elsewhere make sure you find out with who and where.

The Times meets up with Mr Stapp and his team on Alexandra St about 12.30am.

Also on the beat are the Team Policing Unit, who hit the streets every weekend.

An 18-year-old girl stands alone on the corner of Alexandra and Hood Sts. The cops are concerned; they continually turn around and wait for her to be approached by an unwelcome stranger.

The girl tells the reporter she is waiting for her sister and decided to stand there as she felt safe; it's well lit and it's not a dark alleyway. Reasonable logic.

But it's logic not shown by a group of six girls discovered drinking down a dark walkway by the Riff Raff statue earlier in the night. If it wasn't for the laughter, they wouldn't have been found and moved on to a safer area.

We stumble across a man in his mid 50s, covered in blood outside The Outback Inn. He'd been denied entry there and at Route 66 when he'd fallen over and cut his head.

By 2.15am, the footpaths are swollen with mostly drunken punters, but the streets are also swarming with police.

Mr Stapp realises the potential for aggro and decides to stay visible and lines his troops along the median strip.

Frustrated bar owner John Lawrenson approaches the Times and says he wants police to focus more on getting aggro drunks off the streets than bothering about a licence check on a bar which could be done on a computer.

He said if it wasn't for the team policing unit patrolling bars each week, there would be even more carnage on streets.

"Fights don't happen inside the bars, they happen outside the bars. It's the people that can't get in. They come into town, they don't buy drinks, they throw up, they get aggro."

It's 3.45am and Mr Stapp and his team haven't come across any boozy brawls. The high visible police presence has worked.

Seven people were taken away by Mr Stapp and the team policing staff, well down on the average for a Saturday night.