Party was torture

My wife and I live in a villa in Blackwall Rd, Blackwall.

An 18th birthday party was held next door in a marquee in the backyard across the driveway outside our bedroom, on Friday, August 22.

The party started at 5.30pm and we were subjected to nine hours of mind-numbing "music", plus a strobe lamp flashing directly on our windows.

If police used this treatment on suspects, there would be a public enquiry.

At 9.30pm, used drink containers and glass were being thrown at our villa and landing on our driveway.

We asked one of the guests to get the volume of the music turned down but we were refused, so my wife rang the police.

A female officer stated that the police were extremely busy, but would attend when available.

We believed that the new regulations on noise control were brought in on March 1 this year, with 10pm the limit Sunday to Thursday and 11pm on Friday and Saturdays.

Loud music after these hours was an offence.

Is there a fine for this offence? If not, why not?

The police arrived about midnight (we were informed later) and asked for the music to be shut down, which it was for some minutes, but resumed as loud as ever after the officers left.

It was impossible to sleep with the "music" and the strobe lamp flashing on our bedroom, so my wife again rang the police at 3am.

As she finished the call the light was extinguished and the "music" also.

My wife placed another call to the station to advise them this had happened and to recall the officers who were going to attend.

Another lady from our villas also rang the police to report a prowler who was using the garbage bins to climb over the fence into the party and to ask that something be done about the offensive music and the screaming females.

It is futile calling police when it takes two-and-a-half hours to respond to a call.

What became of the promises for more police for the Peninsula?

Maybe another election will produce another swag of promises but no action.

The same anti-social behavior happened last New Year's Eve, so I suppose we had better be prepared for more of the same next year, unless another birthday happens before then.

Harry Strong, Blackwall