10 December 2013

Blitzing drunken violence

| johnboy
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ACT Policing, along with officers from across Australia and New Zealand, will be out in force this weekend (13-15 December) for Operation Unite – a Blitz on Drunken Violence.

Operation Unite is a joint initiative of Police Commissioners across Australia and New Zealand, united in their determination to stamp out alcohol-related violence.

Chief Police Officer for the ACT, Rudi Lammers, said that Operation Unite is an opportunity to call on the community to think about its behaviour when out drinking and consider the consequences long after the night is over.

“Some people drink until they are drunk, which leads to poor decision-making, and sometimes violent behaviour, that can affect them for the rest of their lives,” he said.

“The Operation is a concentrated effort across the nation on cracking down on crime, alcohol misuse, violence and anti-social behaviour. People should feel safe and secure and police don’t want to spoil their enjoyment. Our message is go out, have a good time, but don’t let your fun get out of control.

“This is a serious community issue and people need to drink responsibly rather than drinking simply to get drunk.”

Operation Unite will involve the patrolling and inspection of licensed premises, operational activities, random breath testing, and additional police patrols.

“Binge drinking, and other forms of alcohol misuse, is not a problem isolated to any one age group. We are seeing people of all ages consuming large amounts of alcohol and causing trouble while they are intoxicated,” Assistant Commissioner Lammers said.

“People should also take care of their friends. If they see a friend has had too much to drink or is causing problems, be a good friend and arrange for them to get home. You don’t want to be the one to tell your friend’s parents that they are in our custody, or worse, injured and in hospital.”

ACT Policing will be out in force over the Op Unite weekend with officers from the Regional Targeting Team, Crime Reduction Unit, Traffic Operations, Specialist Response Group and General Duties walking the streets.

Operation Unite commences at 6pm Friday night (December 13) and ceases at 6am Sunday morning (December 15).

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

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