No second chances for louts
Police are gearing up for one of their biggest nights of the year, with 1000 extra officers set to enforce a "zero tolerance approach" to alcohol and drug-fuelled violence across Perth tonight.
As the city's hospitality staff, taxi drivers and emergency workers prepare for the New Year's Eve onslaught, Assistant Commissioner Gary Dreibergs warned there would be "no second chances" for troublemakers.
He said careful planning and more resources meant revellers who broke the law tonight or tomorrow morning could expect to face the consequences.
"New Year's Eve is a big night. It's one of our major operations where we stand up a commander and we have a major incident control centre operating," he said.
"All too often we see minor matters escalate into serious incidents because someone who has consumed too much alcohol isn't able to make the right decision to step away.
"We want every member of the community to celebrate safely without being harassed or putting up with unacceptable criminal behaviour and as such when required we will step in and take action, swiftly and effectively."
The mercury is expected to drop to 15C overnight - compared with a low of 25C last New Year's Eve - with possible light showers forecast for the southern suburbs. The rain could dampen planned celebrations on the Rockingham and Mandurah foreshores which police have identified as potential hotspots.
Mr Dreibergs revealed police had negotiated with bar owners in the traditional entertainment precincts of Northbridge and Fremantle to minimise the chance of serious incidents.
However, he said specialist units were ready to respond to reports of out-of-control parties anywhere across the metropolitan area. While stamping out street-level violence was a priority, he said having more officers on the beat let police go just as hard on drink-driving and deploy a full contingent of booze buses.
"Having a plan on how to get home on New Year's Eve is a very important and critical part to having a good night," he said.
"There's public transport, friends, families and skippers, so we suggest you consider all of those things before you venture out for the night. The most important thing is to get into a vehicle that you know you're safe to get into and you can trust to get you home. To just randomly choose somebody off a website isn't appropriate."
He called on parents to know what their children were doing and how they were getting home.
"We'd also like to have a big focus on parents knowing and being vigilant about the plans of their children," he said.
