Innovation is needed to effectively combat sexual assault at large-scale events, the owner of a Hobart security company says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The man, who we will call Greg, wished for himself and his company to remain anonymous.
Greg suggested festival organisers utilise drone cameras for surveilling so-called mosh pits for bad behaviour.
He likes to station his employees in amongst the crowd, as though they were festivalgoers themselves.
For anyone who felt uncomfortable in the mosh pit, Greg suggested they raise their hand to request assistance.
He said once he or one of his employees saw someone’s raised hand, they would immediately deploy a security guard to assist the distressed individual.
Greg described sexual assault as a “showstopper for everyone”.
“Promoters are trying to get good music for [Tasmania], but if this sort of thing happens, no-one will come.”
He said he briefed his employees on dealing with perpetrators of sexual assault at events.
But Greg said it was not only the responsibility of security staff to address sexual assault.
“It’s everyone’s responsibility,” he said.
Tasmania Police Senior Sergeant Troy Hodge said police liaised extensively with security companies in the lead-up to events.
We are currently working with experts in the field to develop an approach to further event safety at PANAMA 2017.
- Tim Carroll and Dan Rooke
“Event security are fully briefed on how police are to be notified in the event of a [crime],” Senior Sergeant Hodge said.
He said a “sustained police presence” could be expected at large-scale events.
On March 10, A festival called PANAMA will commence in Golconda’s Lone Star Valley.
Organisers Tim Carroll and Dan Rooke said they were committed to finding new approaches to security at their event.
“We are currently working with experts in the field to develop an approach to further event safety at PANAMA 2017,” Mr Carroll and Mr Rooke said.
“We want PANAMA to be a place where people of all sexualities and gender identifications feel safe and comfortable so they can focus on having a damn good time.”
The Examiner’s Hands Off campaign aims to raise awareness around sexual assault, and encourage public dialogue.
If you have experienced sexual assault, call the Sexual Assault Service 24-hour hotline on 1800 697 877.