Mobile police camera watches busy Torquay night

A MOBILE police camera popped up in the Surf Coast over the weekend, as local officers worked to manage a busy Saturday night in Torquay.

The camera was brought in specifically for Saturday night when New South Wales group ONEFOUR performed at the Torquay Hotel.

Torquay Police Station’s Senior Seargent Adrian Bickley said there were some concerns about the crowd that might be attracted to the performance and there was a coordinated police response with the hotel.

“We’ve been working closely with the Torquay pub management in regards to how we were going to manage that in case there were any issues.”

Extra security was brought into the pub, ensuring patrons were not carrying any weapons and people leaving or outside were behaving appropriately.

The CCTV camera, which has now been removed, gave police real-time footage of what was occurring outside the venue and allowed them to keep a closer eye on people coming and going.

“I was working on the night, so it enabled me be able to view what was occurring on my computer screen as well, so I could coordinate any responses as required,” Sgt Bickley said.

“We had a significant police response to the event. We had members from the Torquay Police Station, as well as the Anglesea Police Station; we also had members from the Geelong Liquor Licensing Unit as well as being assisted by police members from the Geelong Highway Patrol.

“[I’m] happy to say that as a result of the night, there were no incidents requiring police attention being reported to police. The event was a success and approximately 500 patrons attended.”

The camera has been used in the area before, including for New Year’s Eve last year when it was set up on the hill following previous issues involving youth.

Sgt Bickley said it was a great tool for police to have as part of their resources and would use it again for events if necessary.