The “Party in the Paddock” music festival was conducted at Blessington in Northern Tasmania from Thursday 8 February 2018 until Sunday 11 February 2018.

During the event Tasmania Police conducted numerous high visibility and covert operations targeting road safety, public order and illicit drugs.

Over the four days of the festival Tasmania Police conducted 2284 random breath tests on drivers attending the event,  the majority of these were conducted at large scale random breath testing sites that were operating on the Sunday morning, testing drivers as they left the festival.    As a result 19 drivers were charged with drink driving.   The highest reading detected was 0.125%.  A total of 40 oral fluid test were also conducted with 14 drivers testing positive for illicit drugs.

Tasmania Police are disappointed with the number of people detected drink driving and driving with illicit drugs in their system.    Senior Sergeant Nick Clark from Northern Road and Public Order Services said, “The festival organisers had a site where drivers could undergo a breath test before they left the event, and it is disappointing that some drivers chose not to test themselves and put themselves and other road users at risk by driving whilst over the limit”.

Tasmania Police want to remind the community that the current “We’ve Been Everywhere” road safety campaign aims to encourage safe road use by promoting the high possibility of being caught if driving unsafely and the fact that “Road Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility”.

A total of 12 people were also charged with selling or supply controlled drugs at the festival and persons were removed from the site for these offences.  During the event cannabis, ecstasy, ICE, methyl amphetamine and cocaine were seized by police.

Overall police were happy with the general behaviour of the people who attended the festival, with only two arrests for disorderly conduct over the entire event.  Police want to remind the public that they will continue to conduct specific operations at these events to maximise the safety of persons attending and all road users.