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8) The Herald Sun is going "undercover" in nightclubs again...
Herald Sun
Melbourne's mean streets
Paul Anderson, Jane Metlikovec and Shannon McRae
October 03, 2006 12:00am
Woman in trouble: Shane Steegstra treats a possible GBH victim on a Melbourne street.
INSIGHT: THIS is the ugly face of Melbourne after dark – drunks, drug users and gang members assaulting the public, police and paramedics.
Herald Sun Insight went undercover into nightclubs and travelled with emergency service workers to witness their nightly peril.
The Herald Sun saw bashings, overdoses and open drug-dealing.
Insight found:
TEENAGE drug dealers earn more than $1000 a night by selling drugs in Melbourne clubs.
GIRLS just out of high school use nightclub VIP rooms as drug dens to sell their illegal wares.
UNLICENSED bouncers used by rogue operators terrorise club patrons.
DRUNK and drugged youths are often found unconscious in city streets and lanes.
STUDENTS pay up to $200 for fake IDs so they can get into clubs.
BINGE drinking is common among teenagers.
STANDOVER gangs are preying on people leaving Prahran and Flemington venues.
Pack violence has left police feeling under-manned in the Chapel St nightclub precinct.
They often resort to capsicum spray to subdue violent offenders.
"The troublemakers come from inside some of the nightclubs, and there are a lot of hangers-on who come from everywhere," a police source said.
"The pack mentality becomes dangerous. They see it as sport trying to bait the cops."
Insight witnessed large groups of young men verbally and physically intimidating Chapel St revellers.
Crowd control expert Dave Hedgecock yesterday painted a bleak and dangerous picture.
He said the crowd control industry was in need of a shake-up as rogue operators were undercutting legitimate firms by employing under-age and unlicensed staff.
"Police have lost the battle with gangs on the street, and it is a gang mentality we're dealing with," Mr Hedgecock said.
"People need to realise what's happening because it's their kids that are going out to these clubs.
"They're walking into an environment where security's there as a necessity, but the limits of what they can do make it simply a camouflage.
"The fact is we're constantly outnumbered by large groups of gangs.
"We've had more security guys attacked in the last two or three years than ever."
Paramedics told Insight they were often abused and assaulted while on duty Paramedic Alan Eade said drunks were the greatest source of violence, followed by those suffering the delusional effects of drugs.
Paramedics in the Dandenong area recently refused to attend brawls outside nightspots without police help after attacks by drunks and psychotic drug users.
"Friday, Saturday and, to some extent, Sunday nights in the CBD are the nights you just know everyone is going to have alcohol in them to some degree," Mr Eade said.
"I don't want to be seen to be slamming the alcohol industry, but alcohol causes us a heap of work and increases the risk to paramedics unbelievably.
"A lot of the people we take to hospital who have had the living hell beaten out of them were doing nothing other than waiting at a tram or bus stop minding their own business, and they've been set upon by someone, or a group of people, who might be intoxicated."
Police recently announced Victoria the safest mainland state for the 2005-06 financial year, but total crimes against the person rose in the CBD and inner suburbs.
There was a 17 per cent rise in robberies in the CBD and inner suburbs, a 3.2 per cent rise in assaults and a 17 per cent increase in property damage.
Police Association secretary Paul Mullett said lack of police on the front line allowed for violent crime.
"There are clearly not enough police deployed to stem the rising prevalence of violent gang-related crimes committed late at night and in the early hours in licensed venues and surrounding precincts of Melbourne," Sen-Sgt Mullett said.
"Unfortunately, despite recruitment of a net additional 1600 police officers since 1999, there are actually 655 fewer police deployed to first-response frontline duty than there were in 2003."
Acting Det-Supt Daryl Clifton said it was wrong to assume the city and its inner suburbs were unsafe after dark.
"Police have placed a high priority on ensuring a visible presence in areas of concern after dark, with significant success," he said.
According to Police Minister Tim Holding, crime in the city and inner suburbs had fallen 32 per cent since 2000-01.
"The bottom line is that the Bracks Government has increased the size of Victoria Police by more than 1600 members," he said. "The vast majority of these police are operating on the front line, doing exactly the sort of work Victorians expect they should be doing."
Across Victoria over the past financial year, robberies rose almost 25 per cent at street level, and were up by more than 18 per cent at licensed venues.
Drug offences fell at street level but rose almost 18 per cent at licensed venues.
Herald Sun