Sixteen arrested as police crack down on St Kilda foreshore violence
Sixteen people were arrested on the St Kilda foreshore and surrounding streets overnight as violence flared yet again at the popular beachside spot during a sweltering night.
Police confirmed 16 people were arrested on Thursday night for a variety of offences, including drunkenness in a public place, possessing a drug of dependence, attempted robbery, assaulting police, criminal damage and failing to obey lawful direction.
Police promised on Thursday to flood the St Kilda foreshore as a two-day heatwave hits the city. Operation Sandsafe has given police the power to conduct weapon searches in a designated area in St Kilda.
Violence along the foreshore often spikes in warmer weather, police say, which has prompted the City of Port Phillip council to ban alcohol on the foreshore after a series of alarming attacks in recent weeks.
On Thursday night, police also conducted 123 searches near the light rail tram tracks, resulting in two people receiving cautions for possessing a drug of dependence, one person charged with possessing a knife and another person arrested as a suspect for an attempted robbery.
It was a hot night in Melbourne on Thursday, only dipping to 26.1 degrees at midnight, and then rising again to 28 degrees during the early hours as a northerly wind came through.
The arrests come as the City of Port Phillip council bowed to pressure from businesses and police to reduce alcohol-related violence by permanently banning alcohol consumption on St Kilda’s foreshore throughout the summer.
The ban is expected to come into place around December 15, once the council has had time to change the signs in the area.
About 25 kilometres south of St Kilda, police were also called to a violent brawl between two groups on Bath Street in Chelsea just after 6pm on Thursday.
By the time police arrived, most of the group had headed towards the foreshore. Police officers, backed by the Public Order Response Team and canine unit, were forced to respond to reports of unruly behaviour by several groups throughout the evening.
"The youths were all dispersed by 11pm with police arresting one youth for drunk and issuing two infringement notices for summary offences," a police spokeswoman said.
Police have previously said criminal activity and anti-social behaviour spikes during the warmer weather.
Superintendent Philip Green said raucous scenes on the foreshore have been seen "all too often, and it's not good enough". He said there was often a rise in thefts during the warmer months.