Some Questions to be asked now that the Party is Over!

Mardi Gras is over for another year, most people would have recovered by now, I'm still suffering from the effect of a cold. It happens every time, walking in and out of hot venues full of half naked sweaty hot men then into the cold as you move to another venue takes its toll on the body.

Not to mention 44hours of partying with 1 1/2 hours sleep.

The Question I have and I bet others too was asked in SX Magazine.

The installation of police with sniffer dogs at the entrance to the party, as well as a number of recognisable undercover officers inside the venue poses a few questions.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the use of drug detector dogs led to the arrest and charging of a 37-year-old woman for the alleged supply of a prohibited drug, 23 people were issued with field court attendance notices for the possession of a prohibited drug, and 15 cautions were issued for the use of cannabis.

Last week Bourget issued a statement in which he said that Surry Hills Local Area Command (LAC) had assured him there would be no sniffer dogs at the party and he lambasted the use of the dogs at the weekend.

"We weren't made aware that sniffer dogs were going to be at the gates to the party," he told SX this week. "I found out as the party was opening. I was told there would be two sniffer dogs for a couple of hours. I respect the need of the police to do their jobs and enforce the law but I don't believe sniffer dogs are the best way to do that, and I think that is consistent with what the ombudsman has said about the use of sniffer dogs.

I don't' support it as best practice - I think it encourages wrong behaviours among partygoers that has potentially bad consequences and creates confusion and doesn't help police with drug detection, so I'm quite disappointed with that."

There is speculation that the sniffer dogs were installed by Botany, as opposed to Surry Hills LAC, but Bourget was unable to confirm this.

"I saw one van that had a Botany Bay mobile on its bonnet - we will be bringing it up in our debriefing with the police," he said.

Despite several attempts by SX to solicit comment from the NSW Police Media Unit, no one responded by press time.
[Source]