|
Night
the thin blue line ran into the Maroubra stomp, by
Les Kennedy,
Chief Police Reporter - 24th December 2002
(Credit:
The Sydney Morning Herald)
When Waverley police and a beach
gang dubbed the Bra Boys decided to hold functions
on the same night at Coogee RSL Club, it became
the ultimate Christmas bash.
At
least 30 officers are now "walking wounded"
after a running brawl erupted between the gang
and off-duty police just before 1am on Saturday.
It
began on the first floor and spilt onto the street,
with as many as 120 combatants spotlit by police
helicopters buzzing overhead. Female officers
were allegedly among those bashed.
Officially,
it was described in a weekend statement by the
city east region commander, Dick Adams, as a brawl
that broke out "as people leaving a police
Christmas function were accosted by a group of
men who were attending a 21st birthday party".
Police
now allege that many of the Bra Boys gang - the
Bra standing for the last three letters of Maroubra
- were in the first-floor bar area, where the
birthday party was being held.
Their
presence had been unknown to more than 80 off-duty
Waverley officers who had booked the second-floor
function room for their end-of-year party.
At
least half the officers had left before the fight
erupted, said one officer, who did not wish to
be identified.
"The
police copped an absolute flogging. They were
outnumbered four to one. Even if we had been there
we would be called victims today. There were too
many of them."
The
local area commander, Bob May, refused to comment
yesterday, but confirmed the brawl was the subject
of a major investigation by detectives from the
eastern beaches command at Maroubra Junction.
Security
video from the club has been seized by police
and an officer from the professional standards
branch is also investigating.
A
police helicopter was sent to illuminate the street
outside the club while dozens of police rushed
to the club and tried to break up the fight, a
source confirmed.
They
arrived after female officers had tried unsuccessfully
to call 000 and then phoned the main police switch,
which issued a "signal-one" - officers
under attack - alert.
Commander
Adams's statement said only six off-duty officers
were taken to Prince of Wales Hospital with cuts,
bruises and facial injuries.
However,
one is still in hospital with a broken leg, and
one officer said: "There are about 30 hurt.
You should see them at the station. Even the women
copped it.
"A
couple of blokes are getting x-rays for suspected
broken jaws. Some of the girls had their heads
slammed into tables. A couple of blokes had their
heads slammed into cars.
"There
are people here still traumatised by it. The next
day some blokes were crying on the phone to their
friends about what happened."
It
is understood that one version of the fracas has
officers leaving the second-floor party trying
to intervene in an argument on the first floor.
Another
has the fight erupting when a female officer and
a colleague were dragged out of a lift on the
first floor as they were leaving.
Four
men, aged between 18 and 25, have been charged
with offences ranging from assault to affray.
One allegedly assaulted two policewomen, They
will appear in Waverley Local Court on January
21.
Links:
Official
websites
Clubs
NSW
NSW
Police
Unofficial
NSW Police Site: The Thin Blue Line - Australia
Randwick
City Council
Websites
Australian
Sports and Entertainment Portal: Surfing Portal
Maroubra
Boardriders Yahoo! Group
Articles
Violent
crime wave in South Eastern Suburbs, by Greg Tingle
- 13th May 2003
Surfer
in hot water says police won't give him a break
Deep
Trouble - Koby Abberton Rides A Different Kind
Of Barrel
|
