IT’S unknown how many school leavers (schoolies) will head to Phillip Island this year, but if recent years are anything to go by, numbers are on the decline.
According to Acting Senior Sergeant Adrian Condron, recent trends suggest those who are choosing to participate in schoolies festivities are predominantly heading overseas and to the Gold Coast. This is most likely in response to accessibility, the cost of accommodation and weather considerations.
“The official schoolies period runs from November 21 to December 7,” Snr Sgt Condron explained.
“And although we are working alongside Bass Coast Shire Council and Red Frogs Australia to ensure those heading this way have a great, safe time, at this stage there are no specific schoolies organised events or entertainment as provided in other schoolies locations.”
The closest schoolies-specific festival will take place on the Mornington Peninsula in Rye, with Red Frogs Australia heading to 15 locations this year, including the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Rainbow Beach, Fraser Island, Byron Bay, Airlie Beach, Lorne, Torquay, South West WA, Bali, Fiji and Vanuatu, to ensure school leavers stay safe.
“Local residents can rest assured that although we will not be a main hive of activity, during the schoolies period we will have an extra 14 police members dedicated to the operation; this is on top of our regular local police presence on Phillip Island and across the Bass Coast Police Service Area.”
Though police will not tolerate any inappropriate behaviour, their focus will be on public safety and traffic offending, particularly around intoxicated and drug-affected drivers.
“Residents around Cowes will also see the specialist CCTV trailer along The Esplanade.”
Operation Schoolies follows a highly successful operation over MotoGP, which saw no major incidents, either on the roads with traffic leaving the circuit and, particularly, around the entertainment precinct.
And although not linked to schoolies, the public are invited along to the Bass Coast Neighbourhood Policing Forum this Thursday at Berninneit from 12.30pm to 3.30pm.
The forum will explore topics including current crime trends and crime prevention, family violence, young people, road policing, and drugs and drug related crime.
As in similar forums held in recent years, members of the public are encouraged to ask questions, with a new platform created for people to submit questions prior to the forum at app.sli.do/event/a9xs9hH4T5r5UjR3ix7SrD.
People are urged to register their attendance either via email at BASS-COAST-CLUSTER-O@police.vic.gov.au or via the QR code on the forum posters across the region.
Victoria Police panel members will include the divisional area commander superintendent, local inspector and senior sergeants, amongst others, who are all set to meet, greet and update the public.