POLICE say they are fed up with drunken behaviour after two marked police cars had their numberplates stolen and several people were arrested at the Cockatoo Rodeo on Saturday.
Sergeant Ken Martin of Emerald Police said excessive alcohol consumption at the rodeo has been a problem for many years and the police are fed up with it. “It’s about time a stop was put to it,” he said.
“We will now meet with organisers and other interested parties to come to some sort of agreement on how it is run in the future.”
Sgt Martin said police arrested a number people for drunken behaviour and impounded three cars under the new hoon laws after one was caught doing burnouts in the car park of the venue.
He said a lot of people were more interested in drinking alcohol than the rodeo itself.
Cardinia Traffic Management Unit officer in charge Sgt Peter Garton said another of the vehicles impounded was seized after the driver was caught travelling at 100km per hour in a 50km speed zone on Macclesfield Road.
Sgt Garton said the TMU worked to maintain road safety around Cockatoo and conducted 480 breath tests with the booze bus.
Four drivers were detected for drink driving, three of these while leaving the rodeo. Police also caught one driver who was driving while disqualified and also issued 30 further traffic infringements.