500 teens at underage rave at Bayswater Youth Hall

POLICE are expected to launch an investigation into how officers handled an out-of-control party at Bayswater on Saturday night that resulted in a 15-year-old being coward-punched and placed in intensive care.

Jaiden, 15, was one of 500 teens who had been at an underage rave at Bayswater Youth Hall on Station St when organisers called police concerned a group of people had gatecrashed the party.

Radio station 3AW has broadcast audio from a police officer refusing to walk through the crowd because he didn’t want to get hit.

“What do you want us to do? Walk through all that so we get hit? No,” he was heard saying.

Speaking to 3AW’s Neil Mitchell, Superintendent Graham Arthur from the Knox Region said he would order an investigation into the non-action.

“I don’t believe it is an appropriate response, Neil,” he said.

“I’m probably disappointed, but not having been there and not knowing the full context of what was said on the night and the prevailing circumstances, it’s pretty hard to make a comment.