Asia-Pacific

Thousands of Australians arrested on drunken behavior

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-13 19:34

SYDNEY: A nation-wide crackdown on alcohol-fuelled behavior in Australia during one of the party weekends at the end of the year resulted in the arrest of thousands of people, police said on Sunday.

As part of Operation Unite in the anticipation of the pre-Christmas celebrations and parties, police officers hit the streets from Friday evening until Sunday morning, arresting thousands of drink drivers.

In NSW, there were 640 arrests, of whom 374 were drink drivers. Other charges included drug possession, affray and assault.

Notable incidents in Sydney on Saturday night included several brawls, a naked man allegedly attempting to strangle his partner at The Rocks and a serious glassing in Ultimo.

In Victoria, officers flooded major entertainment areas across the state and arrested 204 people for public drunkenness during the weekend operation, according to a report by the Australian Associated Press on Sunday. A further 51 people were issued with banning notices for anti-social behavior, prohibiting them from returning to Melbourne's CBD for 48 hours.

In Australia's east coastal state of Queensland, a total of 932 people have been arrested. In Western Australia, about 180 people were arrested, the report said.

South Australia also saw 123 arrests during the two-day operation, 85 of them related to alcohol.

In Canberra, 45 people were arrested, some for being drunk and disorderly in the capital's main entertainment areas and others for assault.