Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.It is 9.40pm and still 34 degrees outside on Saturday’s long weekend when the night team is briefed before kitting up and hitting the streets.
Senior Sergeant Nicole Beale tells the team to expect a busy night and their roles will be to support general duty police, and attend “hot jobs”. The troops hope they stay locked away for the shift because if the weapons are needed, the situation is already out of control. It is part of police culture. Nicknames passed from father to son and connections that last a lifetime.
A gang of 50 youths involved in earlier scuffles are sheep-dogged as they walk from Moomba on the Yarra. They are first moved towards Federation Square, followed as they head into town and finally guided towards Flinders Street Station. Under constant cop eyes, they head home without incident. Here is the point of difference. With physical and tactical superiority, the police could easily race up the only entrance/exit point, trap the partygoers and drag them out.
Beale tells them the party is listed online and likely to be gatecrashed. “This is a marathon, not a sprint,” they are told.Because the area is dark, they are told to check torch batteries, hydrate as they could be on the line for hours, and “don’t get angry”. The first cops are met with aggression that may well be more bravado than battle cry. “Here they are, get ready, f---ing pigs.”Wilson says PORT members are trained not to react to insults routinely thrown at them during demonstrations.“It is part of the theatre of policing,” says Keg. A show of force, he says, can avoid using force.