IN what would have otherwise been a hassle-free day for Esperance police, celebrations for Australia Day were marred with a fight breaking out at Bandy Creek that afternoon.
Esperance police officer in charge Senior Sergeant Ricky Chadwick described the incident as an “almighty melee,” saying he was extremely disappointed with the incident.
“There were a lot of people out at Bandy Creek that afternoon in groups with a mixture of younger and older people,” he said.
“Towards the afternoon, there was an altercation between two parties over some rubbish left on the beach, which resulted in yelling, shouting and a few punches thrown.”
Fifty to 60 people were present during the altercation, with four police officers arriving on the scene to find people wrestling on the beach and punching each other.
“It unfortunately took a while to calm and disperse the crowd,” Snr Sgt Chadwick said.
“No one was seriously hurt but the fact the incident got to that stage is very poor.
“If people cannot celebrate and enjoy alcohol responsibly, it means we now have to look at stronger law enforcement.
See full details inside Friday's edition of the Esperance Express.
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