Warrnambool police have urged parents to “take control” of their children after a spate of underage drinking in the foreshore area.
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Senior Sergeant Shane Keogh, from Operation Summerbool, said underage drinking was an issue they had identified this summer and would increase patrols in the area.
“We’re asking parents to take control at all times and involve themselves in the upbringing of their children,” Senior Sergeant Keogh said.
He said male and female teenagers from Warrnambool and surrounds were drinking in the area at night.
He said the youths were issued with penalty notices and those with behavior issues were taken back to the Warrnambool station and their parents called.
“The concern for me with underage drinking is we’re pushing so much information into schools during the year to educate them and they’re out there drinking slabs of high-end alcohol. I want to know who is supplying these 15 and 16-year-olds with alcohol?”
He said adults purchasing the alcohol could face fines in the tens of thousands of dollars. “If you’re supplying underage drinkers with alcohol think of the consequences.”
Senior Sergeant Keogh said patrols would continue throughout January and into February with police keeping a close eye on the foreshore/ Lake Pertobe area, the CBD and parks around the city for underage drinkers.
In other Operation Summerbool news he said there had been three thefts during the holiday period which included fishing rods and a purse.
A ute was also stolen from Surfside Holiday Park while its owners slept last week.
Senior Sergeant Keogh warned campers and visitors to be vigilant against opportunistic thefts and to lock up their valuables.
Operation Summerbool has run in the city for more than 10 years with police paroling the foreshore area and CBD on bikes and on foot during the busy holiday period.