Queensland Police - Party-Safe Program

Everyone enjoys going to or hosting a party. For young people it is certainly a part of growing up and celebrating special occasions with your friends. While most parties are fun for everyone involved, intoxicated guests or gatecrashers can sometimes ruin the occasion.

This information provides some ideas to assist in holding successful, enjoyable and safe parties for everyone concerned including parents, hosts and guests.

Registering your party at least TWO WEEKS in advance will provide the police with the details they need to know if they are called to your party to deal with an incident.

By registering your party with the police, it doesn't mean they WILL attend your party. Their aim is not to turn up and ruin your night but to provide assistance if required.

There is a Party Safe Registration Form ( 46 KB) attached to the Party Safe brochure which is available from any police station, so that party hosts can register their party (at least TWO WEEKS beforehand) with the local police.

Remember that One Punch Can Kill - it is a shocking reality that simple acts of violence can have tragic consequences. Violence is NOT okay! For more information, navigate to http://onepunchcankill.com.au.

General information regarding alcohol can be obtained from http://www.alcohol.gov.au.

This information should be used as a guide only. The Queensland Police Service does not guarantee that reliance on the information contained herein will prevent any loss, injury, damage or other adverse incident from occurring during, or in connection with a registered party.

Always Remember

If you are unable to handle a situation, call the local police or, in an emergency or life threatening situation, call Triple Zero (000).

For 24-hour alcohol and drug information and counselling, call the Alcohol and Drug Information Service on (07) 3837 5989 or 1800 177833 (free call outside Brisbane).

Information
Party Safe for Guests
Party Safe for Parents
Party Safe for Hosts
Being a Good Host
Party Safe Checklist
More Information

Party Safe for Guests

Everyone wants to enjoy themselves at a party. There are lots of ways to ensure that you have a great time.

• When invited to a party, don’t spread the invitation to other people.  Discourage advertising the party on the Internet, by word of mouth or by SMS text messaging on mobile phones
• Don’t take your own alcohol to the party, unless requested by the host.  Take along an extra bottle of soft drink or juice instead!
• Generally, it is illegal to drink alcohol in a public place (including a park or beach) and you could be fined or arrested.
• Drinking alcohol or taking drugs affects your ability to make safe decisions.  It is better to make the right choices for you by staying in control.
• It is a criminal offence to have illicit drugs including cannabis.  You could be charged and convicted.  This could involve paying a fine or serving a prison sentence.  Your future may be affected as you could have a criminal record for the rest of your life.  This could also impact on your future job or travel opportunities.
• If you are drinking alcohol, it is a good idea to take sips not gulps, finish each drink before you have another and don’t let others top-up your drinks so you know how much you are drinking.  By having some food, non-alcoholic drinks and keeping yourself busy during the party (like dancing), you are likely to drink less alcohol and have a great time.
• Look after your friends during the party and stay with people you know and trust.  Be aware of what is happening around you, be confident and assertive and if you pick up ‘bad vibes’ from someone or someplace trust your instincts and head for somewhere safe.
• Watch your drinks and your friend’s drinks to ensure no one tampers with them.
• Police can be called to a party to assist with complaints about excessive noise or a person who is behaving in an offensive, threatening or violent way – these things can wreck a great party.
• If police are called to a party and see irresponsible supply of alcohol and people under 18 years of age not being responsibly supervised then the police may seize all alcohol.
• Make plans beforehand about how you and your friends will get home after the party.  Arrange for a lift with a non-drinking driver, taxi or public transport.
• If you are driving to the party, car pool with a few friends and decide who will be the designated driver before you leave (you can take turns).  The designated driver should not drink any alcohol at the party so that you all get home safely.

Party Safe for Parents

• Speak with the party host and find out how many people will be attending the party, who and how many will be supervising the party, will alcohol be available, will food be served and what time the party is expected to finish.
• Get the phone number of the house where the party is being held and/or the mobile phone number of the host.
• Drop your child off at the party venue and arrange to pick them up at a certain time.
• Talk to your child about how to have a good time at a party without coming to any harm.

Party Safe for Hosts

• Make entrance to the party by invitation only – this will discourage gatecrashers.
• Make the start and finish time clear on your invitation.
• Clearly state on your invitation if the party is no alcohol permitted, BYO (bring your own) alcohol or whether alcohol will be supplied. If you don’t allow people to BYO it is easier to control the amount of alcohol that is served.
• As the host, you should not get intoxicated so that any problems can be dealt with effectively.
• It’s your party and you have the right to ask people to leave.
• Consider using a private security guard for your party. They can assist by politely asking uninvited or unruly people to leave. A guard can check attendees off a list as they arrive and stop any alcohol being brought into the venue if appropriate.
• Access Party Safe non re-usable identification wrist bands from your local police station for all invited guests to make identification of invited guests easier.
• Arrange parental supervision or the presence of additional adults to help keep trouble to a minimum. Ensure adequate supervision around the swimming pool if necessary.
• Let your neighbours know about your party in advance as this may reduce concerns about parking or noise later.
• Keep noise to a minimum, especially after midnight, by looking at the position or direction of your sound system speakers. Excessive noise from your party can be reported to police, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Noise is the most common reason police are called to a party. Police may issue a noise abatement direction (NAD) after receiving a complaint about excessive noise and if another complaint is received within 12 hours of the first, police can seize and remove the property that is producing or contributing to the production of the noise. The seized property can be collected on a business day at least 24 hours after it was seized.
• Plan what to do if a guest becomes sick or intoxicated.
• Ensure your first aid kit is well stocked and easy to access.
• Ensure access to a phone. Have emergency service numbers ready, just in case and taxi company numbers handy to assist with guests getting home safely afterwards. Consider pre-booking taxis to help get guests home safely at the end of your party. 
• Encourage parents to collect their children at the end of the party.

Being a Good Host

• When planning your party be mindful of the layout. Placing tables of food in central locations within easy reach is helpful.
• Ensure food and water are readily available for all guests throughout the party. Snacks high in protein and carbohydrates such as cheese, dips, crackers, chips, raw vegetables and seafood delay the absorption of alcohol.
• Avoid serving too many salty foods, as these tend to make people thirsty and encourage them to drink more.
• Serve food throughout the party to break up continual drinking. Have someone regularly take food around to your guests.
• If using a BBQ, ensure adequate safety measures are in place to decrease the risk of burns or accidents.
• If you are providing alcohol, limit full strength alcoholic drinks such as full strength beer, spirits, wine or champagne. Provide a good selection of lower strength drinks.
• Have a wide variety and sufficient supply of non-alcoholic drinks such as non-alcoholic punch, mocktails, fruit juice or soft drinks.
• Only serve alcohol from one area within your party and have a responsible adult serving the drinks. Keep areas where alcohol is served to a minimum away from the party entrance. Discourage people from going around and topping up glasses as this makes it hard to keep track of how much alcohol they are drinking.
• Party activities (like dancing) are a good way of keeping guests entertained and doing things other than drinking.
• Stop serving alcohol about an hour before the party is to end. Serve hot drinks or non-alcoholic drinks along with a light snack, maybe some cheese and crackers, prior to your guests heading home.
• Do not allow people to leave with drinks, remember generally it is illegal to consume alcohol in public places.

It’s your responsibility as a host to ensure the safety of your guests.

It is not an offence for a person under 18 to drink alcohol within your property or someone else's private property as long as the person under 18 is supervised by a responsible adult and the supply of alcohol is not irresponsible. Young people, like adults, can be arrested for behaviours associated with drinking (such as violence or property damage).

As the host, you may be legally liable and could be charged with civil negligence if a drunken guest causes damage to property or another person.

Party Safe Checklist

• Register your party, at least TWO WEEKS beforehand, at your local police station and get a supply of Party Safe wrist bands and a 'Registered Party' poster for display on the night of the party.
• Have relevant telephone numbers available at the party, including the police, ambulance, taxi company and contact details for parents of young people attending.
• Issue personal invitations that include start and finish times and are required for entry to the party.
• Registering your party doesn't mean you shouldn't consider arranging private security.
• Make decisions about alcohol use and let guests know on the invitation and at the start of the party.
• Plan for adequate food and non-alcoholic drinks to be available for guests.
• Ensure adequate responsible adult supervision is available for the party. Ask other parents or friends to assist and decide how obvious parents will be.
• Ensure the venue for your party is suitably equipped for the number of people invited. Consider:
  o Size of venue
  o Seating and tables available
  o Adequate lighting in all areas
• In the event of uninvited guests, advise them that they are not welcome and that you will contact the police if they do not leave. Have police phone numbers handy and register your party at least TWO WEEKS beforehand with the local police.
• Supervise access to your home. Ensure all valuables are locked away and that any out-of-bounds areas are adequately secured.
• Encourage guests to arrange their own transport to and from the party.
• Advise your neighbours about the party beforehand.

No matter how careful you are, there is a chance that there will be some trouble at your party. You might be faced with verbal arguments between guests, people making excessive noise or even physical intimidation or violence. As a host, you have the right to set the standard of acceptable behaviour and ensure that it is maintained at your party.

More Information

For 24-hour information and counselling, call the Alcohol and Drug Information Service on (07) 3837 5989 or 1800 177833 (free call outside Brisbane).

Please note that the Queensland Police Service does not maintain these sites.

• Australian Lions Drug Awareness Foundation, Teenagers & Safe Partying brochure
  http://www.lionsclubs.org.au/aldaf/resources.htm
  
  
• Australian Government Alcohol Site
  http://www.alcohol.gov.au
  
  
• Liquor Licensing Division Queensland
  http://www.olgr.qld.gov.au

The Queensland Police Service is not responsible for the contents of other Internet sites linked to this site. A link to this site in no way implies an association or connection with, or endorsement by, the Queensland Police Service of another site.