What’s up, Western Australia?! From what we’ve read these last few months, you really are dying to have fun. Since the start of March, 40 of your teen parties have hit the media for appalling reasons. In case you’ve been lying drunk in a ditch or king-hit by a bottle, here’s a fool’s guide to…
The mayhem caused by unplanned teen parties is alarming. With no experience of planning a successful teen event, parents are continually putting kids in harm’s way. As Managing Director of U-Nome Security and Founder of Safe Partying Australia, I’ve planned and worked at more than 700 teenage parties. Every weekend, I see first-hand exactly why…
Moon madness Last Saturday night kept me and my staff very busy. I’m not sure what the moon was doing, but every party we handled had issues. Problems that would’ve turned very ugly had security not been present Ironically, the alcohol-free events were the most difficult. This was because gatecrashers targeted both. You wouldn’t believe…
Perth has been having so many major problems with teen parties that I have to say my piece. Since the start of March, I’ve counted more than 30 teen events that have hit the media for all the wrong reasons. The most serious incident was last week when gatecrashers attacked, stabbed and hospitalised four young…
The link between teen parties and sexual assault is real and alarming. Here’s the latest horrific story. How many more times must this happen before we wake up from this nightmare?! I was recently involved in a situation that resulted in a young birthday boy being charged with sexual assault at a party. Prior to…
The things people say! Here are things parents commonly say before a teen party. Along with the reality. ‘We know them; they’re all nice boys.’ Then they drink. ‘The kids will be okay in the pool while they drink.’ Then we have two broken noses and a brawl at the end of the night. ‘Our…
Around 90% of teen parties go off the rails because BYO alcohol isn’t controlled as it’s brought onsite. The host/parent who manages this common problem is almost there. Yet the remaining 10% of teen events fail because of a different problem: gatecrashers. I’ve worked hundreds of teen parties. I’ve had gatecrashers threaten to cut my…
I’m concerned at the growing number of licensed venues being used for teen parties. They raise issues parents need to know. Venues see teen events as easy money, but rarely convey the legal implications to parents. Two weeks ago, another gatecrasher horror story hit the media. A venue is liable for the event it hosts.…
I’ve taken security briefs for hundreds of teen events. There’s a moment at which I know I’m dealing with parents who are weak, stupid or both. Here’s how it goes. Happy families Parents ask me to visit their property to discuss safety and security measures. Their teenager is often present. It all starts well as…
I believe out-of-control teen parties are an epidemic. If police start keeping data on them, I’m certain we’ll see improvement. Alas, no Australian police force does. I’ve sent formal requests to the worst-affected states for police to keep figures for three months: Queensland and Western Australia are reviewing my applications. Victoria ‘Can’t support anonymous data…