Schoolies 2025: Police praise teens behaviour after only one arrest made
Police and paramedics have praised the behaviour of Schoolies on the Gold Coast, continuing a positive trend of teens drinking less and taking care of their mates.
Police have praised the “fantastic” behaviour of Schoolies on the Gold Coast with officers only making one arrest in the first two nights of celebrations.
Acting Chief Superintendent Brett Jackson said there had been a positive trend in Schoolies being more aware of their health and looking after their mates.
“I was out there myself on Saturday and the Schoolies themselves have been behaving fantastically,” he said.
“The kids have been engaging with our police officers and other emergency services.
“There are amazing volunteers out there; they range from the Red Frogs to SES.
“The venue itself is cordoned off so they can dance and party together safely.”
Police launched a wanding blitz with more than 380 people searched across Saturday and Sunday as part of Jack’s Law.
Officers arrested an 18-year-old Pimpama man after he was allegedly found in possession of 17 ecstasy pills and $250 cash.
He has been charged with one count each of possessing dangerous drugs, supplying dangerous drugs and possession of property suspected of being the proceeds of an offence under the Drugs Misuse Act.
A 15-year-old boy from Slacks Creek, who was not a Schoolie, was found with a knife hidden in his pants.
Superintendent Jackson said there hadn’t been many issues with “toolies” gate crashing the celebrations.
“On a whole, we haven’t seen too many issues with people that are non-Schoolies, however they are the ones police will also interact with to make sure they are not bringing any weapons into the environment and we are keeping everyone safe,” he said.
“It’s the Gold Coast and it still has to operate as a tourist venue, there are tourists walking around the nightclub precinct.”
Justin Payne from the Queensland Ambulance Service said 88 teenagers were seen by medical staff at the Emergency Treatment Centre at Surfers Paradise on Saturday and Sunday nights, which was a decrease on previous years.
Fourteen of those were then taken to hospital for further treatment.
Mr Payne said a majority of patients were being treated for alcohol intoxication.
“There have been a couple of trips and falls, one resulted in a knee dislocation,” he said.
“By having doctors and nurses on site at Surfers Paradise, we can care for patients on site and then get them back to their friends.
“We’re seeing much lower levels of intoxication, way less risk taking behaviour and the general attitude of the school leavers is extremely positive.”
Mr Payne said the drug use by Schoolies was also very low.
“The behaviour of the school leavers seem to be extremely positive
“We’re seeing much lower levels of intoxication, way less risk taking behaviour and the general attitude of the school leavers is extremely positive.”
‘All in a great mood’: Schoolies take over Surfers Paradise
More than 15,000 Schoolies have hit Surfers Paradise over the weekend with police, paramedics and Red Frogs volunteers out in force to keep party goers safe.
Thousands celebrated on the sand on Saturday night for the official Schoolies events before hitting up nightclubs along the Glitter Strip.
Even heavy rain and thunderstorms on Sunday morning couldn’t dampen their spirits with the teens relaxing on the beach before hitting the party precinct again to continue celebrating into the night.
Theo Harvey from Brisbane said he and his mates have been loving their time on the Gold Coast.
“It’s been great, it’s awesome,” he said.
“We went to the Schoolies beach party (on Saturday) and there were some good DJs.
“We’re all in a great mood.”
Theo, 17, said it was very reassuring to see so many police and volunteers on standby to keep them safe.
“We felt very comfortable,” he said.
Queensland Ambulance Services confirmed 41 people were assessed at the Emergency Treatment Centre at Surfers Paradise on Saturday night, with three taken to hospital for further treatment.
Police launched a wanding blitz as part of Jack’s Law around the Schoolies zone over the weekend with 182 people searched.
Officers allegedly found an 18-year-old Pimpama man in possession of 17 ecstasy tablets and $250 cash.
He has been charged with one count each of possessing dangerous drugs, supplying dangerous drugs and possession of property suspected of being the proceeds of an offence under the Drugs Misuse Act.
A 15-year-old boy from Slacks Creek, who was not a Schoolie, was found with a knife hidden in his pants.
Jack Beasley’s parents Brett and Belinda Beasley joined frontline officers as well as Police Minister Dan Purdie and local MP Sam O’Connor at Surfers Paradise on Saturday night.
The Beasleys said seeing the expanded laws in force at Schoolies was a major milestone in their fight to keep young people safe.
“We made a promise to Jack that something good would come from this tragedy, and now, thanks to this law, lives will be saved,” they said.
“Every knife detected is a life potentially saved. We’ll never know who those young people are, but we know they’re out there, and that’s why we continue this fight.”
Gold Coast Acting Chief Superintendent Brett Jackson said making sure everyone can enjoy Schoolies safely was a priority for police.
“Wanding operations under Jack’s Law have become a vital tool in preventing serious harm,” he said.
“They allow us to detect weapons early, intervene quickly and reassure the community that we’re doing everything we can to keep violent crime out of our public spaces.
“The vast majority of Schoolies are here to celebrate responsibly, and we want them to have a fantastic week but our message is simple – look after your mates, stay aware of your surroundings, and if you see something that doesn’t feel right, come and talk to us.”“Police will have a highly visible presence across the precinct to make sure everyone can move around freely and safely. It’s about prevention, reassurance, and working together with the community so everyone feels safe.”
Police issue warning to 15,000 school leavers
Schoolies 2025 officially kicks off Saturday with 15,000 school leavers descending on Surfers Paradise.
Emergency services all had one clear message for celebrating graduates – be safe and watch your mates.
Queensland Police Service acting chief superintendent Brett Jackson urged parents to remain in contact with their kids throughout the week too.
“Keep an eye on what your kids are doing and let them celebrate the school that they’re leaving behind and the next chapter of their life,” he said.
Additional police resources will be in place during the major event, including tactical crime squads from around southeast Qld, while a public safety response team will patrol in high-visibility uniform and plain clothes.
Supt Jackson said these units would conduct activities across the precinct including random breath testing on entry points, as well as wanding along the light rail and in major gathering areas.
“We ask that Schoolies listen to the instructions that they’re given from the Safer Schoolies people and wear their wristbands and (stick) within the areas that are only for Schoolies,” he said.
“We’ll be patrolling areas in the precinct and up and down the Gold Coast, just to make sure that we keep all those kids safe, and they get home safely.”
Supt Jackson said police rostering had been shifted to better cover after-dark antics.
“While I won’t divulge the exact numbers of our police response, I can say that we’re very well staffed,” he said.
“We’ve also got a lot of other government agencies, including Safer Schoolies, and the Schoolies are also well supported by the volunteers in the Red Frogs.”
Red Frogs national co-ordinator Andy Gourley said 550 volunteers would be on hand to support school leavers.
“We’ve brought in 10,000 pancake shakers and seven tonnes of red frogs – so we’re getting ready to make those pancakes and put out a lot of food this Schoolies,” he said.
Mr Gourley said the volunteers acted as a “great bridging role” for Schoolies and emergency services.
“There’s so many great support services here and sometimes they have a bit of hesitation about approaching (authorities), so these volunteers bridge that gap to get these services to them in time and not after time.”
Last year Red Frogs received 8420 call-outs via its 24/7 hotline (1300 557 123), 3000 of which were for help walking home.
“If you lose your mates or are a bit afraid of walking home on your own, give the Red Frogs a ring or download the Red Frog app,” Mr Gourley said.
As with previous years an emergency treatment centre – led by Gold Coast University Hospital emergency specialist Dr Jeff Hooper – will be stationed within the Schoolies precinct.
Dr Hooper said the main objective of the unit was to keep Schoolies out of Gold Coast emergency departments.
“We see about 80 to 100 presentations a night and that treatment centre keeps those Schoolies out of the Gold Coast ED, which is already a busy place,” he said.
“The majority of patients that we see in the emergency treatment centre get their treatment and then leave – a small percentage we have to transport up to hospital for further investigation.”
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Originally published as Schoolies 2025: Police praise teens behaviour after only one arrest made
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