Drugs, booze tests at concerts

It is the first year Arena Joondalup has held the under-age gig.

While the breathalyser initiative is being run by the festival promoters and not the police, Inspector Steve Post highlighted its presence as a warning to ticket holders.

‘If they have any ideas of pre-loading (alcohol) and getting in, they may well be disappointed at being turned away at the door,’ he said.

But he did not expect too many issues from the crowd of 13 to 17-year-olds, although he is aware there could be some intoxicated patrons, even at an under-age event.

Insp Post is running police proceedings for Good Life and Future Music ” an 18+ event ” on Sunday.

For Future Music, police would target concertgoers taking the train between Joondalup station and Arena Joondalup as this is when most of the problems occurred, he said.

He was disappointed last year with the behaviour of some of the patrons en route to the 18+ festival.

‘There was a lot of street drinking, there was a lot of disorderly conduct and disrespectful behaviour towards, not only us, but to the community,’ he said.

‘People blow in from all over the metro area and come stomping through Joondalup like they own the place.

‘We’ll certainly be tightening up on that this year, making sure people walking from the train station to the venue do so in an orderly manner.’

He said officers concentrated more on areas around Arena Joondalup last year.

There was a police presence at the train station, but he said ‘the passage of people through Lakeside and through the carpark wasn’t focused on as much as it will be this year’.