Friday, January 6, 2012
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Surf Coast booze fines top state
New Year’s a real cracker BY ERIN PEARSON SURF Coast revellers received the highest number of liquor related fines in the state on New Year’s Eve as police battled firecracker use and drunken behaviour. Members from across the region were deployed to Torquay after midnight as antisocial behaviour spiked. Torquay Police Senior Sergeant Angelo Ferrara said officers issued 45 liquor related offences – the highest of any area Victoria-wide. Twelve drunks were also arrested and 63 licensed premises visited. “Liquor offences, which are things like under-age consumption of alcohol and open containers in the street, were big targets for us,” he said. “We got onto it early and identified the youths and groups we thought would give us grief. “We were well planned this year but Torquay did need a lot more attention than anywhere else around Geelong, Surf Coast and the Bellarine.” Sen Sgt Ferrara said the use of firecrackers also “stood out” as a real problem this year. Tarneit father of two Carlos Rodriguez, 34, died in hospital this week after a firework exploded in his face at a New Year’s Eve celebration. Sen Sgt Ferrara said the incident was a chilling reminder of how dangerous the illegal crackers could be. Three people were charged with firework offences in Torquay, he said. “We had one unfortunate incident where some unknown people set off a firecracker near one of our mounted patrol horses and the uniformed rider was thrown to the ground. “These kids may have thought it was a bit of fun but someone could have been seriously injured.” In Geelong police arrested 19 drunks and handed out 33 liquor related fines. Across Victoria police arrested 237 people for being drunk and caught 66 drink drivers over the night as part of various operations. Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said the majority of people celebrated the start of the new year in a responsible way. “We will continue to target antisocial behaviour as well as drink driving over the holiday period so if you intend to cause trouble, we will be there to catch you,” Mr Walshe said. Last year almost 400 people were arrested for being drunk in Victoria on New Year’s Eve.
Head over heels: This week’s hot spell had 11-year-old Keeley in a spin as thousands hit Torquay beach in search of relief. Picture: Tommy Ritchie 75303
Toxic shock as dogs bite toadies ingested by animals and children. “Death can be really rapid and a lot of animals don’t make it to the vet in time. They have a very nasty smell so dogs are attracted to them,” she said. South Geelong’s Elly McDonald told the Independent her parents’ two-year-old standard poodle would be confined to a lead for the rest of summer after having her stomach pumped last week.
“She needs a lot of exercising but there is nowhere else we can go where somebody doesn’t have a problem with us being there.” Ms McDonald said she suspected the dead toadfish were washing up on Queenscliff’s beach after fishermen threw them overboard. But Queenscliff Fishing Charters skipper Tim Biviano denied recreational fishermen were at fault. “We come in close to the
Queenscliff dog beach, but we’re trawling for salmon. At no stage is it ever possible for us to catch a pufferfish while we’re doing that,” he said. “Because Queenscliff is at the start of the bay, a lot of things wash up on the beaches. “A pufferfish washed up on the beach could have come from anywhere because they float.” Fisheries Victoria’s Travis
Dowling said the agency had no reports of fishermen dumping dead toadfish in Queenscliff’s waters but some fishermen had killed the fish instead of returning them. “It’s an offence under fisheries regulations to intentionally kill and discard toadfish in Victorian waters, rather than return them to the water with the least possibly of injury,” Mr Dowling said.
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Josipovic said council workers would “take an extra pro-active approach” to protecting animals and children on the beach. “We will put up warning signs because it’s better to be safe than sorry,” he said. Newtown vet Jane Miller said even when dead, toadfish contained the deadly poison tetrodotoxin which caused convulsions and paralysis when
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BY MICHELLE HERBISON QUEENSCLIFF’S dog beach will display signs warning dog owners of poisonous toadfish within two weeks, according to the Borough of Queenscliffe. The move follows an investigation by the Independent after a dog was hospitalised for the second time in six weeks after eating one of the deadly fish. Borough of Queenscliffe’s Phil
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