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Bathurst the 'best-behaved for years'

Posted October 13, 2008 10:37:00
Updated October 13, 2008 11:54:00

There has been a dramatic drop in the number of race goers charged at the Bathurst 1000 on Mount Panorama in central west New South Wales.

Police say 44 people were charged during this year's four-day V8 race meeting, down from 160 people last year.

Deputy Police Commissioner Dave Owens says the crowd was one of the most well-behaved in years.

"I put it down to us changing some of the mentality of the people that go up there," he said.

"There's a lot of enthusiasts that want to go up there, this is their holiday, they want to enjoy it.

"We also had families in the past that wanted to take their kids up there but just couldn't because of what was going on.

"We turned it around last year and we continued to do that this year."

Police restricted the amount of alcohol people took to the event to one case of beer per person per day, or its equivalent.

The 600-strong police presence was made up police officers from the public order and riot squad, officers from the air wing and the police dog unit.

Tags: alcohol-education, police, sport, motor-sports, v8s, alcohol, nsw, bathurst-2795

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