Police’s ‘zero tolerance’ Australia Day beach plan
Revellers planning to head to the beach this Australia Day have been issued with a “zero tolerance” warning from police.
Beachgoers in Melbourne have been warned police will be taking a “zero tolerance” approach to safety over the Australia Day weekend after 13 Victorians drowned in a horror start to summer.
On Wednesday, specialist response division Superintendent Wayne Newman revealed plans for a “police blitz” across Port Phillip Bay.
“We’ll have zero tolerance for anyone who puts other water users at risk, so help us out and make smart decisions this weekend,” he said.
He said there would be a “highly visible” presence at Melbourne’s waterways and beaches in an effort to boost safety.
The blitz comes after 13 people drowned in Victorian waterways since December 1, according to Life Saving Victoria.
Life Saving Victoria’s health promotion and communications general manager Dr Bernadette Matthews said there have been more than 430 rescues this summer, urging revellers to not ignore the risks this Australia Day.
“Drowning is preventable. With so many fatalities, we’re concerned people are underestimating the risks around water and overestimating their abilities with fatal consequences,” she said.
“Quite frankly, it’s just not worth the risk.”
Superintendent Newman said officers from the water police, air wing, dog squad and public order response teams will be out ensuring safety over then next four days.
He said boat and jet ski rider behaviour will be a focus on the water, while anti-social behaviour will be targeted on Melbourne’s beaches and foreshores.
Outside of Melbourne, water police squad officers will be patrolling across inland and coastal waterways.
“We want everyone to enjoy Victoria’s beaches and waterways this weekend, but we want them to do it safely,” Superintendent Newman said.
“That’s why we’ve teamed up with a number of specialist and local units to ensure our presence is highly visible.”
Over the Christmas period Victoria suffered its worst spate of drownings in 18 years, with four deaths across the state between December 25 and 28.
Customers struck by major bank glitch
CommBank customers have woken to find funds had been taken from their accounts for transactions they had already paid for.
Bank ‘urgently’ grappling with major glitch
Australia’s biggest bank is ‘urgently’ working to fix a major error after customers complained their money had been ‘stolen’.