Well folks, it wouldn’t be an Australian music festival without the solemn recital of the drug arrest stats afterwards. Given that we still have governments who believe the best way to address young people using party drugs is to arrest ’em, this is how it’s gotta be.
Listen Out in Sydney yesterday provided a tasty haul for cops: of the 25,000 people who attended, more than 120 were nabbed on drug offences. 113 were caught possessing drugs, and 13 were nailed for supply.
Furthermore, three people were charged with assault, three were arrested for allegedly assaulting police and six were charged with resisting police.
Despite that fairly high number of arrests, Superintendent Karen McCarthy said the cops were overall pretty happy.
“Most of the festival goers were able to enjoy the featured acts safely and without the dangerous effects of illicit substances or anti-social behaviour,” Superintendent McCarthy said.
“People need to realise that high-visibility police operations are par for the course at major music festivals. If you bring illicit drugs to these events, chances are you will be caught.”
Our take? Why not replace the sniffers and cops with drug testing? Now there’s an idea.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
Photo: Listen Out.
