Simon Byrne
POLICE made 137 arrests during the four days of the Creamfields music festival near Warrington – the majority related to drug supply offences.
Others included weapon possession, assault and those wanted for other outstanding offences.
This is almost double last year’s figure of 76 and is more than double the 2014 figure of 66.
One of the arrests was made by Cheshire’s Chief Constable Simon Byrne himself who arrested a man on suspicion of drugs offences while patrolling the site.
Elsewhere, around 287 crimes were reported to officers on-site or via the 101 number, including thefts, assault and drugs offences. These will be investigated in the coming weeks.
This compared with 180 last year.
Cheshire police have thanked organisers, partners, attendees and the local community for their co-operation during what they describe as a “a successful Creamfields festival”.
A tight policing operation relied on working closely with the event organisers to ensure that the event ran safely and smoothly.
As a result of this proactive approach, officers were able to deliver an effective policing strategy that helped make sure the 70,000 people who attended were able to have an enjoyable, and largely incident-free, weekend.
Inspector Stewart Sheer, who led the planning of the policing operation at Creamfields, said: “Once again we are able to look back on a successful event from a policing perspective, which would not have been possible without the help and co-operation between the organisers and other partners.
“I must also thank all of the officers who policed this year’s festival for their continued hard work, along with the officers and staff who have assisted with the planning of this year’s event. Creamfields is our biggest event of the year, which comes at a time when many would want to spend time with family, so it is great credit to those who embrace the spirit of the event while carrying out an important job.”
A dedicated team, involving police officers and police staff, was involved in the planning process for months.
Plans were put in place to deal with everything from security and traffic to noise and any issues in the local community. The plans were put in place in conjunction with the organisers, the two local authorities and other agencies as well as in consultation with local residents.
The policing operation started on Thursday, August 25 with the majority of festival goers heading to the site on Friday and Saturday morning.
Searches were a condition of entry and festival goers were asked to place any drugs or weapons in the bins provided at the entrance to the event arena.
Officers were assigned a variety of roles throughout the course of the weekend. Within the site officers carried out various tasks – including dealing with any incidents of crime and disorder, regularly patrolling the campsite to provide reassurance to campers and to deter thieves and supporting the security staff.
Externally, officers were involved with traffic management and policing in the local community that surrounds the site.
Local policing inspectors worked throughout the course of the weekend with a team of dedicated community officers to deal with any issues that arose and to minimise any disruption to local residents.
On the second day of the festival, Joseph Michael Sheppherd, a 26-year-old man from Cornwall died on the site.
Police are awaiting the results of a post mortem examination to be held tomorrow and at the moment the death is being described as “unexplained.”
Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane said: “Creamfields is one of the biggest events in Cheshire, and I understand the impact that the event can have on local residents.
“I would like to thank members of the community for their co-operation and understanding prior to and throughout the event.
“I would also like to thank all of the officers, staff and volunteers who helped to police the event for the dedication that they have shown. As a result of careful planning and the commitment shown by officers we have been able to keep disruption caused by the event to a minimum. ”
