By Ethan Benedicto
The recent brawl at Casey RACE, alongside the assault of a lifeguard up north in Casey ARC, has since stirred discussions of safety within local communities, especially at facilities with families and children.
A brawl between youths at the Cranbourne East pools on Sunday 2 February led to a facility-wide evacuation, with police attending the incident; however, all parties had left the scene before officials could intervene, and no injuries were reported.
However, sentiments from employees at neighbouring facilities have noted that there have never been any “specific issues”.
“We’ve been here for a while now, and there are always a lot of kids and families in this area with the courts and the pools, but it’s (fights) not really a concern.
“I don’t think it’s something to highlight, maybe the issue is just over there but it certainly hasn’t spilled out of it,” they said.
Another worker said that children and youth are common in the Casey RACE area, considering The Shed Skatepark, Casey Stadium, and schools in close proximity such as Casey Grammar, fights and scuffles are few in between.
“It’s not really common, I mean what happened at the other place was different, but things like fights don’t really happen,” a local resident who frequented the area’s facilities said.
“A lot of people come here to enjoy the amenities, so I mean, from my perspective, I think it’s normal for people to not want to ruin that atmosphere.
“I mean it sucks that it’s happened twice at different pools now, but I wouldn’t say it’s a regular occurrence.”
The investigation into the assault on the lifeguard remains ongoing, according to Victoria Police, with more information to be made available to the public when there is an update.
For a local shopper and mum of two, the fights have been a “concern”, seeing as that she and her family are frequent visitors to both pools.
“You get the usual kids running around wet surfaces, which is already dangerous in itself,” she said.
“But fights? Someone could get seriously hurt and if it keeps going then it could be sooner than later.”
This story is developing, and local councillors have been contacted for comment. More to come.
