It may have been a public holiday for most, but the Williamstown Water Police were kept busy on Cup Day. 72961 Picture: Vanessa Chircop
By Vanessa Chircop
THE Williamstown Water Police were kept busy over the long weekend not only rescuing stranded boaters and jet skiers but also conducting their annual Cup Day booze boat operation.
Last Tuesday, members positioned themselves on Maribyrnong River in Footscray breathtesting drivers and checking vessels as they cruised by.
Sergeant Andrew Lilly said the boat operates like a booze bus with last Tuesday marking the first time members were able to process drink-drivers on board – previously having to take them down to the station.
“Over the last couple of years the traffic has died down a lot, since they put the rock wall up,” he said.
“It’s now just virtually for transport, whereas they used to sit and watch the race from their boat.”
Sgt Lilly said like driving a car, boat operators are well aware they shouldn’t be over .05 when operating a boat and should be .0 if under 21.
“We check boat licences, vessel registration, we also check all their safety gear – flares in date, fire extinguishers charged, life jackets on board.”
Police were pleased with the overall behaviour of vessel operators.
During the operation, police checked 43 vessels, spoke to 216 people and conducted 43 breath tests.
None of the breath tests yielded a positive result, however four penalty notices were issued for safety breaches.
