In the spirit of New Year’ Eve celebrations, two teenagers were stabbed and hospitalized in Sydney and Melbourne at separate incidents.
Police were called to Guildford Park, 20 kilometers west of the city center, about 10:40 p.m. local time Tuesday night. A group of males had been letting off illegal fireworks when a 17-year-old was stabbed in the back. Paramedics treated the teenager at the scene before transporting him to a nearby hospital in serious but stable condition. His assailant had fled by the time police arrived.
At the time of the event the police were busy throughout, guarding and patrolling the city. In the central business district of Sydney, which attracted more than one million partygoers, 36 people were detained. Detainees were for offenses such as assault, robbery, and possession of weapons. Over 200,000 people thronged Sydney Harbor to watch the spectacular fireworks display by the city.
Assistant Police Commissioner Peter McKenna said that the police reacted promptly to the disturbances. “While a small number of revellers caused trouble, they were quickly dealt with,” McKenna said.
Meanwhile, in Melbourne, police responded to 52 reported assaults and arrested 14 people for weapon possession. A teenager in the seaside suburb of Blairgowrie was stabbed at 5:45 pm and was later transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The attack also led to the arrest of two other teenagers.
In both towns, illegal fireworks set small fires that did not injure anybody. Despite such mishaps, New South Wales authorities were resolved to ensuring public safety; enhanced police presence, comprising aerial and water patrols, would remain in effect until the early hours of tomorrow morning.
The New Year’s Eve violent incidents call into question whether it is appropriate for large public events to remain unsupervised by authorities with greater force.
