By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
CASEY Council will help fund a risk assessment of Lysterfield Lake, following another tragic drowning death at the site in February.
And Victoria Police officers will patrol the lake regularly throughout this summer and particularly on weekends.
The City of Casey and Parks Victoria, which is the responsible authority for the lake, will provide $5000 each to Life Saving Victoria (LSV) to undertake the risk assessment.
Council passed a motion in September calling for the assessment, as well as the introduction of lifesaving patrols at the lake, and additional signage at the site, spurred by the fatal drowning of a five-year-old boy this year.
It’s understood that police patrols are also underway at the lake but are expected to ramp up in December as the weather becomes hotter and more visitors flock to the lake, which is a barbecue area where alcohol is permitted.
Inspector Paul Breen, the Casey Local Area Commander, said his team were planning for twice-daily patrols at the lake during hot days, the first around lunchtime and the next around 8pm.
“As part of the police contribution, we will certainly be there in the hot summer months, and certainly around the weekends,” he said.
“We’ll be dropping in there with high visibility gear to ensure public order.
“The reasonable consumption of alcohol is allowed at the lake, but my concern is that alcohol and swimming don’t mix.”
Insp Breen said he had represented Victoria Police in recent Lysterfield Lake safety discussions between his organisation, Parks Victoria, Life Saving Victoria and the City of Casey.
“What we’ve identified over a number of years is that there has been a number of unfortunate drownings or close or near misses at the lake,” he said.
“And deputy mayor (Louise) Berkelmans spoke to me about her concerns and a concern like that falls under my charge because it’s related to community safety issues.”
Councillor Berkelmans said the risk assessment would start in mid-December but no completion date had been set.
“Council acknowledges that while it has no legal duty of care in relation to swimming at Lysterfield Lake, this is a high priority safety issue and council is committed to advocating on behalf of the community for any risks to be minimised,” Cr Berkelmans said.
Fellow Councillor Rafal Kaplon said the assessment would provide professional recommendations to curb safety risks at the lake.
“LSV will be conducting the risk assessment as they are the experts in the field, and council is happy to financially support the process as it’s a matter of community safety; setting a Victorian precedent by addressing these safety issues through co-operation between state institutions and local government,” he said.
There have been three reported drowning deaths at Lysterfield Lake since 1 July 2000, according to LSV statistics.
In January 2013, a Cranbourne West man drowned at the lake while trying to rescue two children who had been using a dinghy.
The children made it back to shore unharmed.
