Police have said that alcohol was not a major contributing factor to the violence that erupted on the St Kilda foreshore at the weekend, as the council comes under increased pressure to implement a 24-hour booze ban along the busy seaside strip.
Acting Superintendent Mark Langhorn said on Monday police had in fact overheard some young people talking on a tram on Saturday night, giving them the impression the violence was related to social issues within the group.
“It’s hard to know why they are fighting. We overheard some talk on a tram of fighting over a girl… it could be something as simple as that,” he told 3AW radio on Monday morning.
“From what we’ve seen, by and large, there were smaller groups of African-Australians there but by 11pm they became a larger group and started fighting amongst themselves. That’s when we moved in.”
“They weren’t sitting around drinking. They weren’t actually drinking on the foreshore… my information from Saturday night is that alcohol wasn’t a major contributing factor here.”
It comes after a night of violence involving dozens of youths on Jacka Boulevard on Saturday night.
Three men were injured, including one who was taken to hospital after being kicked in the head, as violence spread over the foreshore.
The council will meet on Wednesday night to consider the submission to implement a 24-hour alcohol ban. There was a temporary 24-hour ban last summer, but in March councillors voted against continuing it.
City of Port Phillip Mayor Dick Gross told 3AW radio on Monday morning the council will take into account the safety of residents while also considering local economic vibrancy in the area as they debate the issue at this week’s meeting.
He also said there were “mixed messages” from police about whether alcohol fuelled the violence on Saturday night.
“One Acting Superintendent said there wasn’t any link between alcohol and the violence on Saturday night, but there seems to be indications from other police … that there was,” he said.
“Sometimes violence occurs for reasons other than alcohol.”
State government ministers have backed the alcohol ban, with local Labor member for Albert Park Martin Foley posting on Facebook on Sunday to say he had been at the foreshore to help clean up after Saturday night.
“City of Port Phillip’s complicated rules around glass and alcohol are being ignored again – broken bottles everywhere!” he wrote.
“When will the council step up and take the advice of community, Victoria Police and traders – and have rules that actually work?”
On Saturday night, three men were injured, including one who was taken to hospital unconscious after being kicked in the head, as violence spread over the foreshore and to Jacka Boulevard.
Police say his phone and wallet were stolen in the attack.
A close relative of one of the three victims told The Age on Monday morning the trio were shaken and still recovering after the unprovoked attack.
“They were three mates just having a stroll along, enjoying each other’s company when they were attacked.”
“They had a lot of facial cuts and injuries. The other boy was laying on the ground … unconscious. He was beaten and bashed to the point he was unconscious.”
“This is not a one off, this is a number of many things that taken place in St Kilda area and you now what, it needs to be stopped.”
Acting Superintendent Langhorn said police have noticed the violence occurs on hot nights, which is when they increase their resources.
“I think we’ve seen the pattern with the hot weather, from a policing perspective, that’s when we put our resources down there,” he said.
He said an extension of the alcohol ban would give police “a greater enforcement tool” to assist in controlling violence in the area.
St Kilda traders have also expressed support for the plan, fearing violence could grow worse along the popular foreshore this summer unless the council introduces a 24-hour alcohol ban.
St Kilda Sea Baths management spokesman Travis Atkins said on Sunday that unless the Port Phillip Council introduced a 24-hour alcohol ban over summer, there could be “even worse conflict on a much larger scale”.
“No one who works along here would’ve been surprised to hear what happened on Saturday night,” Mr Atkins said.
“In fact, we fear that even worse conflict on a much larger scale will occur if the council doesn’t ban alcohol completely along the foreshore over the summer months when you start seeing these large groups congregating down here.”
