Police to crack down during party season
Operation Unite is a national crackdown by police on alcohol-related violence, set for Friday and Saturday 11 and 12 December. The operation will also occur in New Zealand.
Thousands of extra police will be on the streets along with the Riot Squad, Highway Patrols and dog squads, looking for any revellers who behave badly.
Railway stations will also be targeted to prevent antisocial behaviour affecting passengers.
“This week two of my officers suffered major injuries dealing with more than 30 drunken youths on the rampage in Sydney,” said Commissioner Andrew Scipione. “One received a fractured jaw and the other needed stitches in his chin.”
“It is time for Australians to rethink our “She’ll be right” attitude to this problem.”
“I can tell you we have contacted the Department of Corrective Services and told them to stand by for some more customers on that weekend,” said Mr Scipione.
Operation Unite was announced at a meeting in Perth of police commissioners from across Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Scipione appealed for people to take responsibility for their own actions and to “stop outsourcing the problem to emergency services and others”.
“We are gripped by a collective madness when it comes to grog,” said the commissioner, reportedly a teetotaller himself.
“Police cannot arrest our way out of this problem. People have to change. We will run Operation Unite, but at the same time we are sending a message that we have had enough and we want people to take responsibility for what they do,” he said.
by Michael Gormly
