Moomba 2018: Police to flood Melbourne CBD for festival
POLICE will be on the lookout for known offenders at Moomba this weekend in a bid to avoid the riots which marred the festival two years ago.
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EXCLUSIVE: HUNDREDS of police will flood the city and hi-tech cameras will be used to spot known troublemakers at the Moomba festival this weekend.
The show of force, including officers from the Operational Response Unit and the Mounted Branch, aims to prevent a repeat of the mainly African gang rioting in 2016.
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Officers based in the force’s $15 million monitoring and assessment centre will scan CCTV and social media sites to alert police on the ground to any trouble before it erupts.
Commander Russell Barrett said: “Police have never been better prepared or equipped to deal with unwanted behaviour.
“From train stations and roads to Federation Square, police will blanket Melbourne this long weekend.”
Two years ago, dozens of youths caused chaos as mass brawls broke out in the CBD during Moomba.
Last year, police had to use OC spray to keep more than 100 youngsters apart as violence threatened to erupt again. Police confiscated knives, a knuckleduster and a Taser and made 53 arrests on the Friday and Saturday night in the city.
This Moomba weekend, the CBD has been declared a designated search area under the Weapons Act, allowing police to frisk people for weapons.
Protective Services Officers will be armed with iPads and have access to details of known offenders and troublemakers.
A range of groups will also be out to support police, including leaders from the South Sudanese community.
Cdr Barrett said: “Our officers will be focused on deterring unacceptable behaviour before it escalates and arresting anyone who steps over the line. We’re looking forward to all families and visitors coming into the CBD to enjoy what promises to be a safe and relaxing long weekend.”
He said the role of the force’s monitoring and assessment centre would be crucial in stamping out trouble before it began.
“It analyses up-to-the-second intelligence gleaned from a variety of sources, which allows us to have frontline police in the right place, at the right time,” he said.
The police crackdown comes as a teen thug who was freed after kicking a policeman in the head on Thursday had his case adjourned to December in order not to interrupt his VCE studies.
And a gang of thugs of African appearance bashed a teenage boy in a bid to snatch his mobile phone in Melbourne’s west.