| Stereosonic continues despite arrests |
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Security efforts will not be increased at the remaining Stereosonic festivals around Australia, despite dozens of arrests and riot squad police being deployed at the Sydney event over the weekend. Sixty seven people were charged with various offences including drug supply and possession, assaulting police and resisting arrest at the dance festival, which drew its biggest crowd of 65,000 people to Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday. "Police were forced to break up a number of violent scuffles. The fact that some in the crowd hurled bottles at those officers is disgraceful," Detective Superintendent Peter Lennon said. But a spokeswoman for the Stereosonic festival said there was no plan to employ extra security at the festivals in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. "The others won't be as big as Sydney," the spokeswoman told AAP. "Security is already beefed up everywhere but there are going to be ratbags in certain cities." Tickets to the Sydney festival sold out prior to the event with organisers claiming it as Australia's biggest festival. The spokeswoman said the 2011 Stereosonic festival had so far been hugely successful. "You only hear the negative things about these events, never the positive aspects," she said. "There are going to be small issues at any event that has lots of people." Perth's festival on Sunday saw 22,500 people attend but police say only 11 arrests were made, mostly for drug-related offences, and there was no repeat of the violence that marred the Sydney event. |
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