BENDIGO police are battling a new spate of violent clashes between young people in the city’s CBD.Hundreds of people, many of them students, looked on as a brawl erupted between two youths, egged on by about 30 others, in Hargreaves Mall about 1pm yesterday.Trader Maree Smith of My Hair said she twice phoned triple-0 for police but her first call was ignored and a policeman monitoring CCTV cameras in the mall said he could see nothing happening and hung up on her.Traders, council representatives, welfare workers and delegates from schools met yesterday for talks on youth violence and antisocial behaviour in central Bendigo.The fight follows a series of clashes on Wednesday afternoon that culminated in a melee involving up to 50 youths outside Bendigo Town Hall.About six police along with office workers, cafe staff and customers broke up the fight.Eyewitnesses said the brawl brewed outside Bendigo Town Hall for 30 minutes before erupting about 3.45pm.At its height, a Salvation Army officer aged in his 50s was attacked while protecting one teenage girl from another. A knife was later found by police concealed in a bin near the Bendigo Library.Kate Murray was at the Beauty Bar hairdresser in Bull Street when she heard a scream and ran outside.“This chick had another chick up against that big green power box,’’ Ms Murray said. ‘‘She hit the girl’s head about four or five times. She’s pregnant (the victim) and her face and jaw and eye were swollen.’’“I stood in the way and this chick said, ‘You’re older than me but I’ll hit you anyway’ and I said, ‘If you hit me, I’ll hit you back because this chick isn’t fighting back’.”Sergeant Mark Holloway, who was at the scene, said many members of the public were distressed.“Police are taking this matter very seriously,’’ he said. “This mob mentality will not be tolerated.’’
CBD ERUPTS - police condemn youth violence
