Police chief Ashton hopeful of music festival permit system
Top cop Graham Ashton says conversations with the police minister have left him hopeful Victoria will soon adopt a new permit system for music festivals.
As the fallout from the troublesome Rainbow Serpent festival continues, Mr Ashton told Neil Mitchell he’s “dead against” pill testing.
- RAINBOW RAP SHEET: Sex assaults and dozens of drug arrests and cautions
“It’s a distraction that we talk about pill testing,” he said. “It seems to me we’ve got a cultural issue.”
“To me, if we just head straight into things like pill testing, that just perpetuates that culture, to me, of an unsafe environment for our young people.
“How do we make this event about the music, and not about trying to create like a Woodstock atmosphere in 2019.”
He said Police Minister Lisa Neville had been “very supportive” in conversations around making music festivals safer.
Click PLAY to hear about his conversations with the Ms Neville
Top cop Graham Ashton says conversations with the Police Minister have left him hopeful Victoria will soon adopt a new permit system for music festivals – https://t.co/KkO80PpNi7 pic.twitter.com/5iKVNaJr7k
— 3AW Melbourne (@3AW693) January 31, 2019
Click PLAY for full interview