Teenagers stabbed during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney, Melbourne
Sydney, Jan 1 (IANS/GURPUNEET SIDHU) Two teenagers have been hospitalised after being stabbed during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney and Melbourne.
Police in Sydney said on Wednesday that officers were called to a park in the suburb of Guildford, 20 km west of central Sydney, at 10:40 p.m. local time on Tuesday night following reports of a stabbing, Xinhua news agency reported.
Officers attending the scene were told that a group of males were allegedly illegally setting off fireworks in the park before a 17-year-old was stabbed in the back.
The boy was treated by ambulance crews at the scene before being taken to a nearby hospital in a serious but stable condition, police said.
His alleged attacker fled the scene.
Police made 36 arrests across Sydney’s central business district as more than one million people flocked to the city for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The arrests were made for various offences, including assault, robbery, and possession of weapons.
More than 200,000 people rushed to vantage points on the Sydney Harbor on Tuesday to watch the city’s iconic fireworks display.
“Police were kept busy by a handful of revellers doing the wrong thing, but those people were dealt with quickly,” Assistant Police Commissioner Peter McKenna said in a statement.
In Melbourne, police responded to 52 reported assaults and arrested 14 people for possessing weapons.
A teenager was stabbed in the seaside suburb of Blairgowrie at about 5:45 p.m. and was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Two teenagers were arrested by police over the attack.
Illegal fireworks ignited several small fires across the city but police said that there had been no injuries reported.
“The safety of the NSW community is of the utmost importance to us, so for those continuing to celebrate until the morning, we will have police in the air, on the roads and water to ensure it is a night to remember for all the right reasons.”
General duties officers remained out on the streets into the early hours with specialist police from the riot squad, mounted and dog command, PolAir, water police and other divisions.
