Crowd told to keep it nice

– Lia Bichel
A WEEK after a drunken brawl marred a footy grand final in Gembrook, local fans are encouraged to have fun but drink responsibly when they support their teams at Berwick this weekend.
Casey’s top cop Inspector Wayne Viney said he encouraged people to support their teams at Edwin Flack Reserve on Saturday but warned there would be a major police presence at the footy grounds including uniformed and mounted police and members from the Casey Highway Patrol.
“At the end of the day it is a community event and we want people to enjoy themselves,” Insp Viney said. “If they have a beer or two, that’s fine – as long as they don’t get in a drunken state and cause anti-social behaviour. We won’t tolerate that.”
His warning comes a week after a drunken brawl between Emerald and Seville supporters soured the grand final football at Gembrook and raised calls for a booze ban at future matches.
Insp Viney said Casey police had been working with the Casey Cardinina Football League to ensure there were minimal problems at the footy finals, but said there were no plans for alcohol-free footy finals in Berwick in the future.
“We have worked with the football club and league to put strategies in place to make sure the effects of alcohol are reduced. In addition to a strong police presence, there are designated alcohol areas, staff who are trained for responsible service of alcohol and there is security to help manage the area,” Insp Viney said.