WITH almost 70,000 people attending Creamfields at its peak over the Bank Holiday weekend, police have thanked festival-goers for their mainly good behaviour, with 106 crimes reported, most commonly drug-related.
Considering the numbers who attended the event, Superintendent Simon Parsonage, who led the policing operation says “crime and levels of disorder were low”.
Throughout five days there were a total of 29 arrests and a further 27 people will be dealt with through criminal justice processes at a later stage and were removed from the site.
The event involved a significant policing operation both over the bank holiday weekend itself, and during the planning phase with the main aim to keep people safe.
The force worked closely with the organisers again this year, and a host of other agencies, to make it as safe as possible, and limit any adverse impact on the local community.
This was made even more challenging due to the ongoing emergence from the COVID pandemic.
Superintendent Parsonage, said: “I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the vast majority of festival-goers for their cooperation and their behaviour on their return to enjoying a big music event and for all the agencies that worked together so well throughout.
“At its peak almost 70,000 people attended and considering the numbers it’s fair to say that crime and levels of disorder were low. People were in good spirits clearly revelling in the opportunity to enjoy events of this nature again after previous cancellations because of the pandemic.
“This year we had an increased presence with officers from Project Servator in attendance. This team’s aim was to disrupt a range of criminal activity while providing a reassuring presence for the public.”
Project Servator is a national operation that works with partner agencies, including other police forces, businesses and the public, to continue to protect people and to make it difficult for criminals and terrorists to operate.
Superintendent Parsonage added: “We recognised that dance festivals of this nature tend to be associated with increased prevalence of drugs and by working with other agencies in the run-up and during the weekend we have sought to address this. We had in place a clear surrender policy followed by targeted searches at all entrances.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer, said: “Creamfields is one of the biggest events we host here in Cheshire, and although a small minority of people didn’t adhere to the rules, it was great to see the event ran well. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of those who were involved in policing the event. It’s nice to see more normality returning as the UK continues to navigate through the coronavirus pandemic.”
A multi-agency debrief will be held in due course to review in more detail what went well and where improvements can be made for future events.
