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 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 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…