Police were out in force in Melbourne's CBD on New Year's Eve to curb trouble and show safety in numbers after the thwarted Christmas Day terror attacks.
The event appears to have been largely trouble free, and the fireworks spectacular. Perhaps even as good as Lord Mayor Robert Doyle's claim that they would be the best the city had ever seen.
More Victoria News Videos
- Video duration
- 02:19
The best of Melbourne's NYE fireworks
The best of Melbourne's NYE fireworks
The best user videos of Melbourne's spectacular midnight fireworks - the biggest display the city has ever seen.
Up Next
Serious injuries during Lorne Falls Festival crush
- Video duration
- 00:32
- Video duration
- 00:32
Serious injuries during Lorne Falls ...
Serious injuries during Lorne Falls Festival crush
More than 60 people were injured, 19 seriously, during a human crush at the Lorne leg of the Falls Festival after some crowd members slipped, triggering a stampede on Friday night. Vision courtesy ABC News 24.
Up Next
Melbourne NYE weather: we're in the clear
- Video duration
- 00:56
- Video duration
- 00:56
Melbourne NYE weather: we're in the clear
Melbourne NYE weather: we're in the clear
Fireworks across Melbourne will ring in the New Year and some welcome relief from the recent scorching temperatures.
Up Next
Festival stampede eyewitness account
- Video duration
- 01:15
- Video duration
- 01:15
Festival stampede eyewitness account
Festival stampede eyewitness account
19-year-old Sophie Baldock describes being covered in someone else's blood and urine and being suffocated under about 15 people during crowd crush at the Lorne Falls Festival on Friday night.
Up Next
Two dead after 4WD and motorbikes smash near Kevington
- Video duration
- 00:24
- Video duration
- 00:24
Two dead after 4WD and motorbikes smash ...
Two dead after 4WD and motorbikes smash near Kevington
Two people have died after a horror crash on the Mansfield-Woods Point Road south of Mansfield on Friday afternoon. Vision courtesy Seven News Melbourne.
Up Next
Melbourne's 'one-in-100-year' storm
- Video duration
- 01:48
- Video duration
- 01:48
Melbourne's 'one-in-100-year' storm
Melbourne's 'one-in-100-year' storm
Homes flooded, rivers gushing and cars floating away - all scenes from Friday's massive downpour across Melbourne and the aftermath on Friday.
Up Next
Which crimes increase over the New Year?
- Video duration
- 00:54
- Video duration
- 00:54
Which crimes increase over the New Year?
Which crimes increase over the New Year?
The Crime Statistics Agency show certain criminal increases during the festive season.
The best of Melbourne's NYE fireworks
The best user videos of Melbourne's spectacular midnight fireworks - the biggest display the city has ever seen.
But despite the celebrations, the police presence was extremely heavy. Uniformed officers swarmed through Federation Square, Swanston Street and Collins Street from around 6pm.
By 9.30pm when the "early Eve" fireworks began, police numbers had grown still more. There were no reports of arrests.
Related Content
Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp said police were encouraging people to celebrate safely and responsibly.
"We will be focusing on anti-social behaviour, violence, and drink and drug driving. Everyone needs to stay safe as 2016 ends and the new year begins," he said.
Last year, there were 126 people arrested on New Year's Eve across Victoria, which included 65 for being drunk in a public place.
Deputy commissioner Crisp said uniform and plain-clothes police and specialist squads, including the Water Police, Mounted Branch, Operations Response Unit and Air Wing, would be deployed across the state.
Police helicopters were flying over Federation Square at 9.45pm. Mounted police on horses rode through Federation Square at 10pm.
Police also chose New Year's Eve to launch a new police monitoring centre in Flinders Street.
The Victoria Police Monitoring and Assessment Centre, according to deputy commissioner Crisp, will be the "eyes and ears of frontline policing for issues including terrorism, crime, traffic and public order".
The centre has access to real-time information from Triple Zero calls, CCTV and social media. One of its aims is for police to respond quickly to "unplanned events or gatherings".
In Gippsland, a 46-year-old man was killed after a firecracker exploded in his face at 9.30pm.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesman said earlier in the night that the Hollands Landing man was in a critical condition with head and facial injuries.
