"Half of our future leaders appear to be idiots. The other
half appear to be sheep." Those were the words of Willowbank
station officer Grant Clarkson yesterday.
He said the patience of his fellow firefighters at Willowbank
and Dunedin City stations was beginning to wear thin after
they were called to 12 fires in the student quarter between
6pm on Saturday and 6am yesterday.
Mr Clarkson said the fires involved couches, mattresses and
rubbish at the annual Hyde St keg party as well as Clyde St,
Harbour Tce, Dundas St, Castle St North, Duke St and Union St
East.
"It's idiotic behaviour, and there are obviously a lot of
sheep that sit there watching - and they don't do anything to
stop it."
While tolerance was decaying, Mr Clarkson said concern was
growing among the city's firefighters because fires being lit
in the student quarter appeared to be becoming more dangerous
in nature.
"Earlier on Saturday night, the fires were mostly couches
related to parties. But later on, at 4 or 5 on Sunday
morning, they seemed to be more malicious.
"It looked like people were coming home from a night out,
setting fire to something lying on the street, and then going
to bed.
"If the wind gets up and blows the embers under a roof, they
could set fire to flats. And if they don't have working smoke
alarms ..."
Acting Sergeant Chris MacAulay and two of his colleagues
found themselves helping out the fire service when they
noticed a banner hung in front of one of the Hyde St flats
during the annual street party on fire about 8.30pm on
Saturday.
"The flames climbed up the banner and reached an open top
floor window and set the curtains on fire," he said.
Realising the fire service had no chance of getting through
the crowd, the trio ran into the house and beat the fire out.
However, their actions were not appreciated by one of the
residents of the flat, who confronted them, demanding to know
why they were there.
"He was really drunk. I doubt he'll remember it and I doubt
the occupants of the flat will have any idea what happened to
their curtains," Acting Sgt MacAulay said.
The "stupidity" of the person who set the banner on fire
appalled Acting Sgt MacAulay.
"In my opinion, it shows a very low level of intelligence and
the perpetrator had a reckless disregard for the safety of
others.
"The city's police were also kept busy on Saturday night
after the Highlanders v Crusaders Super 15 rugby match at
Carisbrook and the Hyde St party near the University of
Otago.
Senior Sergeant Craig Brown, of Dunedin, said 55 people were
arrested in the city between 3.30pm on Saturday and 6am
yesterday.
About 18 of the total arrests were known to be of students,
seven of which were from the Hyde St party.
Most of the arrests were for fighting, disorderly behaviour
and breaches of the liquor ban, he said.
Snr Sgt Brown said behaviour at the Hyde St party was on a
par with previous years, despite the fine weather attracting
significantly more people.
It was estimated more than 2000 people attended.
A St John Ambulance spokesman said 25 people from the party
were treated by ambulance staff, mostly for cuts and bruises
from broken glass and falls.
One intoxicated party-goer, dressed as Batman, was hit by a
car on Frederick St about 3pm and taken to Dunedin Hospital
as a precaution.
Snr Sgt Brown said the party began about 8.30am on Saturday
and was closed down without incident at 7.30pm.
"It was naturally beginning to peter out, so the party was
closed down to make it a safe and happy ending to the day."
Dunedin area tactical response manager Inspector Alastair
Dickie said the students were more respectful than those at
previous parties, but his tolerance for was also wearing
thin.
"I cannot see the point of young people getting boozed up and
falling down drunk in some cases.
"It is part of a culture we don't need in this city and this
open public binge-drinking event should be past its use-by
date by now."
- john.lewis@odt.co.nz
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