Police have hailed the security at the weekend-long V Festival. The long-running pop festival, on August 19 and 20 at Chelmsford in Essex and simultaneously at Weston Park on the Staffordshire-Shropshire border, had armed police on the entrance and making patrols in the grounds, as a sign of a policing response to high-profile terror attacks in the UK and on the Continent.
However, as ever at summer open-air events, what crimes there were, were more likely public order or illegal drug offences. Over the weekend Staffordshire Police arrested 41 people, typically for drug dealing, drugs possession, assault, theft and possession of an offensive weapon. A further seven were cautioned over the weekend for drugs possession; their drugs were destroyed and their wristband – worn to grant entry to the event – cut so that they were not allowed back into the festival.
Staffordshire Police reported a 70pc reduction in the number of crime reports. The most common reports were for drug offences, assault, thefts from tents and the person, and public order.
Staffordshire Supt Martin Brereton, commander for the V Festival operation, said: “Thank you to everyone who attended V Festival, barring an irresponsible few the event passed peacefully with thousands of people having the time of their lives. Our officers engaged with lots of members of the public, lots of selfies were taken and initial feedback has demonstrated that the public welcomed and were comforted by the visible presence of armed officers alongside unarmed officers.
“Our security operation was a fantastic success as we worked closely with the event organisers and partners to plan ahead and be prepared for every eventuality. Our unpredictable and extensive police deployment saw officers all over the site at different times, creating a safe and secure environment.”
As much crime at festivals generally is of portable and easily sold-on property such as mobile phones, police advised beforehand that customers bring instead a disposable camera, or an old brand phone rather than the newest version, less desirable to thieves. V Festival organisers urged visitors to pack light as all bags were searched on entry and rules about what they could and couldn’t take from the campsite to the arena enforced, for security, or health and safety, reasons – such as no glass, weapons, aerosols, tin openers, cans, umbrellas or flags, or bags larger than A4 size. Laser pens, drones and nitrous oxide (‘laughing gas’) were among items not allowed on the site at all. Laughing gas canisters were among drugs seized.
Searches at the entrances – V Festival organisers beforehand urged visitors to be patient if there were queues – were by the event security and crowd stewarding contractor Showsec, which drew about 1000 staff from across the country to steward what in size resembles a small town, with medical, feeding and other facilities to match. For example the routine bag searches at gates found 200 tablets in a teenager’s bag. Mr Brereton praised ‘some outstanding work to prevent drugs getting into the festival’ with the event’s security team.
As another sign of the partnering between private security contractor and police – who deal with perimeter and site security, and safety of fans at the very front of the crowd barrier, from the pit area; and crimes at the event respectively – if a festival-goer were ejected from the site, and processed by festival security, their name was asked for and PNC-checked in case warrants were outstanding. Police hailed the first day proper of V for having little crime and likewise hailed a peaceful and smooth second day.
Among the tasks of Security was to clear the arena each night after the bands played, to enable maintenance and cleaning of the site for the next morning. Festival-goers were required to leave by the middle of Monday, for the stately home to re-open to the public today.
Likewise ahead of Creamfields over the August Bank Holiday, search was a condition of entry, and as at V in Staffordshire searching included with sniffer dogs. Cheshire Police ran a poster campaign before the event warning those who might think of taking drugs to the festival that ‘it’s not worth the risk‘. Surrender bins were provided at the entrances.
More in the October 2017 print issue of Professional Security magazine. Pictured; a stage crewman tests wires whereby Sunday main stage artists could ‘fly’ over the audience.
