The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are urging airline passengers to behave responsibly as airports across the country expect high volumes of travellers over the school holiday break.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Specialist Protective Command at AFP, Alison Wegg said the holiday period was inevitability a busy time for airports and the Federal Police took a zero tolerance approach on anti-social or criminal behaviour.
ACP Wegg said the AFP was boosting its patrols across nine designated airports – the Gold Coast, Cairns, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth, and Adelaide – as passenger numbers increased.
“We are conscious that times of high passenger volume, combined with higher waiting periods, can lead to an increase in disruptive or anti-social behaviour,” ACP Wegg said.
“The AFP is encouraging the public to be patient with unexpected delays and follow airline advice.”
She encouraged passengers to refrain from indulging in excessive alcohol consumption to ensure the safety of all travellers and airline staff.
ACP Wegg said APF had recently seen some disturbing and unacceptable behaviour where travellers had shown complete disregard for fellow passengers and airline staff.
“Although consumption of alcohol itself on our planes and at airports is not illegal, we are asking the public to be mindful of how much alcohol they consume,” she said.
“People who are unruly on aircraft should understand that this may mean they will not be allowed to travel and will impact their family holiday plans and also impact fellow passengers.”
ACP Wegg said AFP canine units were being deployed across a number of the airports and were trained to detect cash, drugs, firearms and relevant technology devices.
