Death rattle
June 12, 2012 at 7:05 am | Posted in Security | Leave a commentTags: crowd control, death, drinking, duty of care, event, fight, gang, grievous bodily harm, injury, kid, legislation, Naomi Oakley, parent, party, police, prevention, safe parties, security, teen, teenage, teenager, tragedy, U-NOME Security, violence, youth
Our very own killing fields.
What’s up, Western Australia?!
From what we’ve read these last few months, you really are dying to have fun.
Since the start of March, 40 of your teen parties have hit the media for appalling reasons.
In case you’ve been lying drunk in a ditch or king-hit by a bottle, here’s a fool’s guide to the most serious incidents:
25 March. Teen in coma. Police officer kicked unconscious.
1 April. Guest in hospital with serious head injuries from gatecrasher missiles.
6 May. Four teens smashed, slashed and robbed by 30 partygoers.
8 June. Police cars damaged in party violence.
9 June. Machete-wielding thugs fracture teen’s skull and smash property.
These totally preventable situations are injuring your kids, destroying your communities and costing you (and the rest of us!) a fortune in wasted taxes.
When will we see positive action?
How many more children must be maimed to create change in your State?
Are we Australia?
Or Syria?
Parents must be accountable for these events.
As things stand, they don’t need any kind of plan or permit to throw a party for their child.
If your kid were involved in one of the traumas listed above, would you want justice?
If you hold a party that goes wrong, do you really think you’ll avoid a criminal investigation and/or civil suit?
Checking your sickening stats, it’s clear it’s only a matter of time till WA mourns its next dead reveller.
Instead of praying it’s not your child, or hoping for change, why not be the change you want to see?
We need legislative reform. It’s not impossible. It’s not even hard. Here’s the plan. Read it!
Can’t you see the time has come to get with the program?
Or will it take that knock at your door to rouse you from your stupor?
It’s your baby.
Literally.
So show some guts.
And maturity.
Make the call.
Before it’s too late.
Naomi Oakley, Founder, Safe Partying Australia.
Too Cool for School
January 24, 2011 at 3:03 am | Posted in Security | 1 CommentTags: alcohol, brain damage, crowd control, drinking, duty of care, event, fight, glassing, grievous bodily harm, law suit, Naomi Oakley, parent, party, Party Plan Checklist, police, prevention, risk, safe parties, security, sue, teen, teenage, teenager, tragedy, U-NOME Security, venue, violence, youth
Parents who try to be ‘cool’ with kids do everyone a grave disservice.
I can’t say enough about the duty of care of parents who host parties. Here’s yet another report of a party turned to crap (courtesy of Police News):
‘Police are appealing for information after a party turned ugly at Carrum Downs last Thursday night.
At about 10.30pm on 20 January a group of people turned up unannounced to a Lyrebird Drive residence and were then asked to leave the party.
After the confrontation, a 21 year old Carrum Downs man was stabbed several times in the head and face with a broken bottle.
Another 19 year old man from Skye was also stabbed in the head with the bottle, and another 20 year old Mount Eliza man was stabbed in the back with what is believed to be a screwdriver.
All three men were transported to the Frankston Hospital with serious injuries.
Police are on the hunt for three men who are believed to be aged between 17 and 21 from the Carrum Downs area.’
Sounds to me like there was no crowd control at this event.
Here’s another story that put three police members in hospital. It’s just one of dozens of stories I’m collating in a national database.
I’ll bet you London to a brick these guests were all drunk because the parents didn’t want to control the alcohol. Why? Because they wanted to be ‘cool’ with the kids.
And while they were being cool, their guests were getting the crap beaten out of them. Then, when the party got too wild, they called emergency services to clean up their mess.
When are parents going to listen?!
Again and again we see our stretched emergency services called to situations that could’ve been prevented. I can see the neighbours cringing inside their properties thinking, ‘Not another teenage party!’
Almost all these stories come down to planning and duty of care. If parents provide these, parties will be pleasant for guests and safe for the community and emergency services. And the only way to make sure of this is to bring in safe party permits.
Parents who plan a party for their kids are responsible for all guests. This means they must control the alcohol. They must also diligently and continually observe all guests to ensure they’re partying safely. They must also provide a safe party environment that keeps unwanted guests out.
Not doing this could mean civil action by another parent. I know of two cases in Melbourne where parents are suing another parent for lack of duty of care. Their kids both ended up with permanent brain damage.
In the last five months, I’ve organised 60 teen parties with parents all over Melbourne. This includes:
- Risk and pre-party safety assessment of venues (including homes).
- Risk assessment and safety plan for alcohol.
- Post-party transport arrangements.
Not one of these parties had an alcohol-fuelled problem.
About a third had gatecrashers who tried to get in, but were thwarted by my security team and diligent parents who cared about keeping the kids safe.
There is a solution to all this mindless violence.
If only parents would GROW UP!
Naomi Oakley, Managing Director, U-NOME Security Communication Specialists.
Death of the Party
February 5, 2010 at 5:36 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 CommentsTags: bottle, crowd control, death, energy drink, fantasy, gamma hydroxybutyrate, GHB, grievous bodily harm, kid, loss, marijuana, Naomi Oakley, nightmare, parent, party, Party Plan Checklist, prevention, safe parties, teenager, tragedy
Another Tragedy
This week I read with utter dismay that yet another teenager had lost her life at a party which didn’t have adequate security measures.
Two men also became violently ill on what’s thought to be gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB).
This so-called ‘recreational’ drug has an appropriate nickname of Grievous Bodily Harm.
Escalating Problem
Recreational drugs used to be the domain of people aged 20 and over. Today’s users are getting younger and younger.
Parents must be aware and vigilant. As long as we ignore this problem, teenagers will continue to harm and destroy themselves.
Parties need proper security. Parents and professional crowd controllers can prevent tragedies like this.
Experience
As a former police member and professional crowd controller, I worked many private parties.
I encountered pills, marijuana, liquid drugs and energy drinks (which are far more dangerous than they sound).
With responsible adults supervising an event and observing guests, trouble can be stopped before it starts.
Using clear plastic containers makes it easy to identify alcohol.
Preventing young guests from helping themselves to (what appears to be) alcohol is also vital.
Back packs, sports bags and other large bags often carry large amounts of alcohol to parties. Drugs can be concealed in small cavities.
Solutions
Based on my public and private sector experience, I created a Party Plan Checklist.
Experience has since shown that using this list effectively deters drug use at parties.
I’ve also tabled a legal framework to control private parties.
I firmly believe all these measures are needed to protect young people from today’s deadly dangers.
Naomi Oakley, Managing Director, U-NOME Security Communication Specialists.
Naomi Oakley
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