Message loud and clear … Hobson’s Bay councillor Renee Caruana and Mayor Leigh Hardinge with Laverton Police Senior Sergeant Peter Gibbons and new flyers and posters urging the community to adopt the Partysafe message.
POLICE hope a new partnership with Hobsons Bay City Council will help reverse an emerging trend of private parties spiralling into violence.
Laverton Police Senior Sergeant Peter Gibbons said problems with violent gatecrashers wrecking parties in Melbourne’s western suburbs had emerged as a disturbing trend in recent months.
But he hoped a new agreement with the council would help put an end to the madness.
Councillors last week voted to join forces with police to ensure parties were held safely across the municipality.
The council has become an active participant in the Victoria Police Partysafe program in an effort to increase safety at private parties.
The move follows a spate of incidents of parties descending into chaos in the neighbouring Wyndham municipality.
Gatecrashers attacked three men with tree stakes after they were asked to leave party in Hoppers Crossing two weeks ago.
One man received stab wounds to the back and another suffered a fractured skull.
A week earlier another young man was stabbed when uninvited guests crashed a debutante ball after party in Hoppers Crossing.
Sen Sgt Gibbins said numerous incidents in Hobsons Bay proved the municipality was not immune from the problem.
“Policing issues in the West are very much the same and it seems to be a bit of an emerging trend that, with modern technology, people text each other about a party or it ends up on the internet and a heap of people turn up,” he said.
“It’s fair to say that there has been a trend of problem parties but these types of community partnerships can hopefully reverse that and make the community a safer place.”
Under the council’s involvement in Partysafe, anyone booking a function at a council-owned venue would have to prove that the party was registered with police.
Sen Sgt Gibbons said Partysafe encouraged safety by reiterating the importance of sticking to guest lists, responsible serving of alcohol and establishing direct lines of communication between on-duty police and party hosts.
Hobsons Bay mayor Leigh Hardinge praised Sen Sgt Gibbins for taking a lead role in the Partysafe program.
“It’s an unfortunate fact that there has been a higher number of violent and drunken incidents at parties across Melbourne over the past months,” Cr Hardinge said.
“While there is never a sure-fire way to guarantee a party won’t get out of control, at least if the local police know about it they can act quickly and have a better chance at handling problems before they escalate.”
Seabrook Ward Councillor Renee Caruana said Partysafe offered hosts a number of simple safeguards against anti-social behaviour.
“By simply filling out a form which includes the date and location of the function, a contact phone number and the number of guests expected, residents can improve the safety of their guests significantly.”
Partysafe participants will also receive a poster to place on their front doors to warn uninvited guests that the party was registered with police.
Councillors urged anyone considering hosting a party to pick up a free Partysafe information kit from Hobsons Bay Civic Centre or by phoning 9932 1000.
