Open-air summer pop festivals have their own security demands.
Open-air summer pop festivals have peculiar security demands; while the mainly young concert-goers want to have a good time and may resent overt policing, the event organisers have to guard against drug-taking, petty crime that can accompany any gathering of tens of thousands of people, and outbreaks of disorder. For example, the Leeds Carling Festival at Temple Newsam Park over the August Bank Holiday saw a police helicopter called in as hooligans set fire to two toilet blocks. At the V2002 music festival at Weston Park in August Staffordshire Police had CCTV coverage from ADT, like last year. PC Tony Alcott, Events Co-ordinator, Chase Division, says: ?The V2002 Festival attracted in excess of 65,000 revellers. The vast majority of these are genuine music fans, however there is inevitably be a faction who will take advantage of the relaxed atmosphere in order to sell drugs or commit crime. The CCTV cameras form an essential part of our security arrangements because they enable us to constantly monitor the huge crowds, whilst allowing us to transmit information within seconds of an offence occurring.?
What they say
Police at Staffordshire V2002 made 30 arrests, gave 325 cautions and seized 2.4 kilos of cannabis, 263 ecstasy tablets, 7.8 grams of cocaine and 63.8 grams of amphetamines. ADT also worked with Staffordshire Police at last year?s event, and helped them to seize ล15,000 of drugs, as well as monitoring criminal activity. Some 52 arrests were made at the event in 2001, says Andy Perry, Systems Sales Consultant at ADT Fire and Security?s Birmingham training academy.
