We already know that sniffer dog patrols on site at last weekend’s Splendour In The Grass were particularly successful but it turns out that drug detection patrols at Sydney airport may not have been as busy due to an unscheduled public announcement by a Jetstar crew member to a plane filled with returning Splendour patrons.
The Australian airline today confirmed that a crew member warned passengers aboard a domestic flight leaving from the Gold Coast that Police offers were awaiting at Sydney airport.
According to News Ltd, the male Jetstar staffer allegedly announced: “We have been told there are sniffer dogs and quarantine officers waiting in the domestic terminal,” alerting festival-weary passengers that “if you need to dispose of anything you shouldn’t have we suggest you flush it now.”
The announcement reportedly caused a mid-flight rush for the toilets from punters returning home from the Byron Bay music festival.
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Jetstar has since apologised for the drugs warning and says the staff member will be reprimanded. “The crew member’s words were poorly chosen and are plainly at odds with the professional standards we’d expect from our team,” said a Jetstar spokesperson in a statement.
They further explained that the airline is required to deliver its own “pre-recorded quarantine announcements for customers on all flights across interstate and territory borders within Australia,” but that Jetstar’s “procedures also allow cabin crew to deliver the quarantine message through a public announcment and on this occasion the crew member elected to do so.”
Some thankful Splendour-goers had more positive words to say about the Jetstar employee.
“In my opinion this crew member should be rewarded,” one person wrote on Jetstar Australia’s Facebook page. “It’s easy to just do your job and not care for other people, but here is an employee that has shown they are truly looking out for the best interests of your paying customers.”
Another commented that the “Samaritan… deserves a promotion.” Their sentiments echoed by another grateful individual who called the impromptu PSA a “very thoughtful and kind thing to do. Hope the staff member is promoted.”
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NSW Police on-site at the winter music festival maintained a five-day high-visibility operation, beginning Wednesday (23rd July), of the some 30,000 attendees and 17,500 campers attending Splendour In The Grass. By Saturday, sniffer dog squads had seized a kilo of drugs and made 159 arrests.
The final tally of the drug-dog operation led to 271 people being detected in possession of illegal drugs – including cannabis, MDMA, speed, ice, and cocaine – while officers issued 87 cannabis cautions, 89 court attendance notices, and made a number of arrests related to assault, driving under the influence, and trespassing.
Superintendent Stuart Wilkins said that overall, Police were “pleased [that] the overwhelming majority were well-behaved all weekend,” but that “unfortunately, there were still some people who ignored our advice and tried to bring illegal drugs past the drug-detection dogs and through the gates.”
“In most cases, charges were laid against people who did the wrong thing and they will now be brought before the courts. Police aren’t there to spoil anyone’s fun, but anyone who chooses to break the law or behave dangerously, will be stopped in their tracks,” said Supt Wilkins.
(Photo: Lachlan Johnston. Source: Splendour In The Grass)
