Dozens of ravers arrested at Melbourne Park
Anthony Dowsley
June 07, 2009 11:49pm
UPDATE 9:14am: DOZENS of party-goers have been arrested after police used sniffer dogs to detect drugs at a Melbourne Park rave.
The Winter Sound System dance party, held at Melbourne Park, was marred by paramedics having to treat four people for overdoses of potentially lethal drug GHB.
Other drugs found include cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine.
Of 65 people detected with drugs, 62 were cautioned, but three could face charges over trafficking offences.
Those arrested were interviewed and will face court at a later date.
Passive alert dogs roamed around the dance party attended by 17,000 people that finished at 7am today.
Five partygoers who attended the party ended up at hospital.
Paramedic Alan Eade said four men in their 20s and 30s were taken to hospital suffering alcohol and drug-related illnesses.
"Alcohol was a factor in almost every single presentation here last night and it remains the drug that creates the most work," Mr Eade said this morning.
Mr Eade said the small number of people needing hospitali treatment meant the night was generally positive.
"The promoter of this event appears to have done pretty much everything within their power to ensure a safe and healthy event for their patrons, and we're grateful for that," Mr Eade said.
A fifth man was taken to hospital with head injuries after he fell down a flight of stairs inside Melbourne Park.
Revellers had trouble finding a taxi as they spilled out on to Batman Avenue at the end of the event, but the night was violence-free.
Fifty police patrolled the event and sniffer dogs were utilised to check ticket-holders as they queued for entry.
Operation commander Acting Inspector Martin Tynan said uniform and plainclothes members from the dog squad, Melbourne regional response unit, traffic, drug and alcohol units and local police ensured punters enjoyed a safe night.
"Unfortunately there are still a few people out there who want to come to these events and take illicit substances," he said in a statement.
"They fail to realise the damage that they are doing or the danger that they are putting themselves and others in."
But acting Inspector Tynan said the event's high attendance and lack of reported overdoses was a positive sign.
"From a harm-minimisation perspective we must consider this operation a success," he said.
"It has been very quiet. Everyone is very happy with the crowd's behaviour."
At 3am there were no overdoses and Insp Tynan said ambulance crews were confident they would have a quiet night.
“In view that 17,000 people were in attendance and at this stage there are no reported overdoses, then from a harm minimisation perspective we must consider this operation a success,” he said.
Earlier in the evening the Herald Sun witnessed many partygoers being walked away and handcuffed after emptying their pockets of sachets of white powder and pills to officers.
At 10.30pm last night about 60 people had been removed from the queue with dozens handing over their drugs to police in full view.
About 60 police were patrolling the sell-out dance party.
By 11.30pm, 38 people had been arrested for using and handling drugs and one person had been arrested for trafficking drugs.
Police said they had found drugs ranging from cannabis to ecstasy and cocaine and other unidentified substances.
When sniffer dogs first arrived it took just over three minutes for every police officer to question a suspect leading to a delay before the dogs could be employed with another suspect.
Insp Tynan said the sniffer dogs were highly effective in picking out drug carriers from the crowd.
Besides the size of the dog squad, undercover officers mingled in the queue to detect drug dealers.
Clubber Antony Papalia , 21, of Melton, said having the dogs at an event might put an image across but drugs would still get inside the rave.
“People are going to get them in anyway no matter what the police do,” he said.
John Laguda, 23, from East Keilor, said the dogs were a good idea but wouldn’t make a big difference.
Public servants from Drug and Alcohol Policy Enforcement were also undercover in the crowd to check alcohol-serving practices.
Melbourne Park spokeswoman Jo Juler said the event had more than enough security to control the energetic crowd.
“We never say how much security we’ve got,” she said. “But it’s very secure inside with our contractors ACG and inhouse security."
-With Antonia Magee, Anne Wright