Police were out in force on Saturday night to prevent a repeat of last year's Moomba riots. Credit:Tom Cowie Proposed new offences such as violent disorder will include a maximum 15-year jail term for masked offenders. Police will also have the power to ask brawlers to remove masks. Attorney General Martin Pakula said outdated affray laws made it hard for police and the courts to prosecute youths committing gang-related violence. Those found guilty of affray could face a maximum seven-year jail term for offenders wearing a mask and up to five years for those who are unmasked. Speaking on 3AW on Monday morning, Mr Pakula said the new offence would not apply to individuals wearing a mask for religious reasons.

Police made 65 arrests over the weekend. Credit:Paul Jeffers "It will only be an offence to refuse to remove facial coverings if police believe reasonably you're wearing it for the purposes of shielding your identity, particularly from CCTV cameras or protecting yourself from the effects of capsicum spray." The legislation will be introduced in parliament next month. A man is taken to hospital after allegedly fighting with police during the Moomba festival. Credit:Deborah Gough Fifty three arrests were made over the first two nights of the festival. Fourteen people were arrested for being drunk, nine on weapons-related offences, five for riotous behaviour, one for hindering police, four for assaulting police, two for criminal damage and one for robbery.

Police confirmed another 12 arrests were made on Sunday. A huge police presence, bolstered by police horses and specialised officers from the public order response team, dealt with small fights and altercations in the areas around Swanston Street, Flinders Street and Federation Square. Two police were treated for minor injuries and several bystanders were treated for secondary pepper spray. Towards 11pm, the families who had been sitting in Federation Square gave way to hundreds of youths, most of whom appeared to be hanging around to watch whatever unfolded. Tougher new laws were flagged last year in response to a clash between anti-fascist and far-right groups in Coburg.

Mr Pakula said on Monday the government had intended to introduce the laws earlier but they had proven "somewhat complex". However, he said police were able to use a range of powers to deal with the violence on Saturday night. "But we think it's important to arm them with the most effective set of laws that we can," he said. Mr Pakula said there was a "small band of idiotic offenders" that seemed to take pleasure in "trying it on" with police. He also rejected Opposition claims the new laws would have been unnecessary if the government had not scrapped so-called "move-on laws".

"There are a range of move-on laws still in place." He said some move-on laws had been retained and police used them on the weekend. On Monday morning, Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the violence had not affected crowd numbers at the event. He said to the media: "I know that you are going to call it the Moomba riots again, but I want to point out that it wasn't at the Moomba site and it was after Moomba had closed down for the night." "But I know what you mean, it's over the Moomba weekend and its time of mass gathering and the public have every right to expect that they will be safe at these mass gatherings.

"I think people can say that we can put our trust in the police and we are not going to let a few idiots spoil what is a great party for Melbourne." Mr Pakula said existing laws such as affray and riot were outdated when it came to tackling the city's growing problem with youth gang violence. "They're difficult to charge and difficult for courts to define so we think in regards to that, having a new offence of violent disorder, which makes it clear about the number of persons involved and the type of conduct that's covered, will make it easier for both the courts and police," he said. - with Tom Cowie