NEWS: Herald Sun - 26/01/09 'Cops bust 73 at big dance party' (Melbourne)

[hoptis]

Cops bust 73 at big dance party
Article from: Herald Sun
Aaron Langmaid
January 26, 2009 12:00am

A RECORD number of party goers have been arrested for drugs at one of Melbourne's biggest summer dance parties.

Police arrested 73 people for drug-related offences in the first few hours of the Kiss My Grass music festival at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl yesterday.

Ecstasy, speed and marijuana were among drugs found on patrons.

Sniffer dogs were credited with helping nab most of the offenders.

"There is always a possibility that there will be drug-related arrests at an event like this," police spokesman Glen Atwell said.

"But to catch this many was certainly a surprise for police on the ground.

"The dog squad was really working hard and uniform members had an extremely busy time."

He said a number of people had been arrested for carrying a substantial amount of ecstasy pills.

Those suspected of carrying drugs were barrelled into police vans and questioned. Most were charged on summons.

Sniffer dogs were also used at the much-hyped New Year's party Sensation.

More than 40,000 people attended the Telstra Dome spectacle but drug-arrests were minimal.

Police have warned the crackdown will continue at similar events, including the DefCon Music Festival at Birrarung Marr on February 7 and the Future Music Festival in March.

Despite the arrests Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokesman Ray Rowe said there were no overdoses.

More than 50 DJs entertained a mostly well-behaved crowd at yesterday's festival, a promotional event for a Melbourne radio station.

Herald Sun

 

[hoptis]

Sniffer dogs have their Big Day Out
Article from: Herald Sun
Cameron Adams
January 26, 2009 12:00am

BIG Day Out punters will be greeted by police sniffer dogs at today's music festival at Flemington Racecourse.

Police made at least 85 drug-related arrests at the Sydney leg of the event on Friday.

Festival promoter Vivian Lees said local police were happy with the Big Day Out's security policy.

"The police have a harm mitigation approach. They will search people before they go into the venue and put some disincentive there," Mr Lees said yesterday.

"But the police are pretty comfortable about the way the show is going to be conducted. We do the crowd control ourselves. We have a music loving audience. We don't have gang behaviour."

While last year's event sold out months in advance, tickets are still available for today's event through Ticketmaster or at the gate for $132.

"We've sold around 40,000 tickets so far. We had 46,000 last year," he said yesterday.

Many have put the slower ticket sales down to mixed reactions to the 2009 line-up, headlined by American rocker Neil Young and young British band Arctic Monkeys, and bad memories of the dusty venue last year.

"The car park has been fixed and grassed now and it looks gorgeous," Mr Lees said.

"It's a long-term commitment by the VRC. They've been very welcoming to us."

This year Melbourne trio Living End are the highest-ranked Australian act playing the main stage at 6.20pm.

UK act the Prodigy will headline the Boiler Room, with chart toppers the Ting Tings playing at 2.15pm on the green stage.

Herald Sun

 

[malakaix]

Despite the arrests Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokesman Ray Rowe said there were no overdoses.

Bahaha

 

[chugs]

73 people busted.....hmm sounds like a ton of paper work for the cops.

really do cops get some sort of incentive to bust people?

 

[static_mind]

Its really easy to catch people breaking the law this way. Cops are like anyone else, they do things the easy way.

 

[Smoifer]

73 people busted.....hmm sounds like a ton of paper work for the cops.

really do cops get some sort of incentive to bust people?

I can't remember the exact figures but yes they do. A mates old man is a detective and told us that to go from constable to senior constable the quickest way is to dish out 15** tickets a day(might be week but i'm pretty sure it's per shift) for a certain period of time. Same as council officers have a quota of parking tickets to dish out even the ones that deal with animal related complaints/strays/dog attacks and such have to give out 3 parking tickets per week (in Banyule anyway)

** not sure of exact number but was pretty sure he said 15

 

[PsiloSubNaut]

I'd love to see the pigs control 40,000 drunks at a party.

They know as well as we do that ecstasy is making their job so much easier.

Why do you think the bust numbers are so small at events where 90%+ in attendance are on illegal drugs.

Time for change

P.S i know you fuckers are reading this, leave us alone and do some real detective work

(hope that makes an article lol)

 

[static_mind]

You can't expect them to not enforce laws they don't like or seem counter productive. Id almost say the police is kind of a business now. The easy crimes where they can fine people is what they go for.

When there numbers get big enough and they clamp down hard enough people will stop going to these events in such numbers. People will turn to under ground raves and bush doofs. I welcome this move, as people can do as they please, take what drugs they want and everyone has a good time. Iv never seen a fight at a bush doof before. I think it would be alot harder and logisticly too taxing on the police if they have to travel down a dirt road for an hour only to find those will drugs have long since fled into the scrub.

The cops are at there limits nows, if people turn to unoffical events then the cops will be under supplied and understaffed and not give a flying fuck about anything the media and public doesnt see anyway.

 

[malakaix]

When there numbers get big enough and they clamp down hard enough people will stop going to these events in such numbers. People will turn to under ground raves and bush doofs.

Yeah, the amount of drugs you can find at Doofs lol. We've had the cops turn up a few times at doofs.. usually in the morning.. there pretty cool.. they sometimes let us be and come back later in the day, other times they just tell us to pack it up right then.

It's quickly becoming a more desirable place for me to enjoy myself.. i just cant be fucked with the inner city bullshit.

 

[baysieguy1]

Yeah, the amount of drugs you can find at Doofs lol. We've had the cops turn up a few times at doofs.. usually in the morning.. there pretty cool.. they sometimes let us be and come back later in the day, other times they just tell us to pack it up right then.

It's quickly becoming a more desirable place for me to enjoy myself.. i just cant be fucked with the inner city bullshit.

As long as the inner city bullshit doesn't end up at the doofs, unfortunately there were a few of the "Oooops, did I just walk through you just then!!!!" types at Rainbow last weekend, they can keep that shit in the inner city thanks!

 

[malakaix]

As long as the inner city bullshit doesn't end up at the doofs, unfortunately there were a few of the "Oooops, did I just walk through you just then!!!!" types at Rainbow last weekend, they can keep that shit in the inner city thanks!

Missed Rainbow unfortunatley.. but i guess im not totally surprised there was that happening, since it is a well known event. Still.. it sucks to hear about it.