I don’t usually post on Sundays, but a terrifying incident last night compels me to issue a dire warning. If you’re a teen, or have a teen child, please read on. I was working at an 18th birthday party in Melbourne’s east. At 9 pm, two 16-year-old girls arrived. I noticed that one girl was…
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…
Throughout my career (13 years at Victoria Police and 6 years specialising in teen events) I’ve seen my share of dreadful things. These days, I also receive many calls from staff from other security firms. They call because they’re concerned about the types of teen parties to which their employer is sending them. I think…
Another party went feral last week. This time in the well-heeled Melbourne suburb of Kew. The host parent had called me earlier, but baulked at my $500 quote for full event security. When I sent one of my staff to watch the night go off the rails, he saw plenty more than $500 worth of…
Even when I warned him his party would spiral out of control, a Wheelers Hill kid ignored my advice and held a party last weekend. As I predicted, it turned ugly. And the emergency services response cost tax payers (you and me) a small fortune. Words of warning The boy rang me last Thursday to…
We hear a lot about ‘senseless violence’. But when kids get injured at parties, it’s not the violence that’s senseless. It’s the parents. With prior planning, parties needn’t suffer any violence. To me, ‘senseless’ is someone stabbing you in the street. Car accidents aren’t senseless. Most are due to speed, alcohol, fatigue or other driver…
Nasty Surprise After my recent one-hour interview with the Member for Doncaster, Mary Wooldridge, it was discovered that the secondary supply law due to come into effect in Feb 2012 will NOT include BYO alcohol at teen parties. In my experience of planning and protecting 700 teen events, most problems have been with drinks brought…
Good News / Bad News I’m delighted the State Government is concerned about teenage alcohol abuse. However, I strongly feel the law described in this article is too narrow. If we fine adults who give alcohol to children visiting their homes without their parents’ permission, the ripple effect may be bigger than we think. Private…
There’s a right way and a wrong way. The wrong way costs MUCH more. Girl Talk A young girl rang and asked if I could provide crowd control for an after-formal party for 400 teens in an inner-Melbourne factory area. She couldn’t believe I was concerned when she told me: The school didn’t want…