BAY PARTY CRACKDOWN
New police powers to prevent repeat of shock scenes in Cardiff Bay:
THREE people have been arrested and South Wales Police have put powers in place to enable them to exclude people from Cardiff Bay after hundreds of people gathered for what was described as a “massive party”.
A section 35 dispersal order is now in place in Cardiff Bay which gives officers the powers to exclude people from the area.
Hundreds of people were pictured on the steps of the Senedd building, drinking alcohol, partying and singing well into the night, ignoring social distancing and coronavirus rules still in place which do not allow large gatherings.
Onlookers described the gathering as being “like an illegal rave” and police were seen to be moving in on the crowd as the gathering continued into the early hours of yesterday morning. South Wales Police yesterday confirmed three people were arrested at the gathering, and said officers are increasing patrols over the duration of the bank holiday weekend.
A 20-year-old man was arrested for a public order offence, a 22-year-old woman arrested for being drunk and disorderly and possession of a Class A substance and a 35-year-old man was also arrested for possession of a Class A substance.
Covid-19 rules in Wales only allow six people from two households to meet outdoors. The revellers were yesterday condemned for breaching coronavirus regulations.
Early images from the gathering, which started on the evening of Good Friday, showed a police vehicle parked nearby in Harbour Drive, though few officers were seen in the crowd itself.
But as the partying continued through the night and into the early hours of the morning, pictures show officers moving in on the crowd, which was still large, at around 1am.
The crowd had been there for several hours by this point.
Officers were seen lining up in front of the Senedd building and a further group at the Pierhead Building as well as dealing with individuals who attended the gathering.
One image showed one person pinned to the floor by three officers.
Fights were seen breaking out among the crowd just after midnight, forcing officers to get involved.
It appeared as though there were around 50 to 60 officers present after midnight with one individual stumbling to the ground near a group of officers and another seen vomiting nearby.
Earlier in the evening there had been reports of a “brawl” among several people attending the gathering in which beer bottles were thrown and a paramedic “begged them to stop”.
Superintendent Marc Attwell, of South Wales Police, said: “As restrictions have eased, the need for personal responsibility is critical and it is extremely disappointing that a small minority are willing to put themselves, and others, in harm’s way.
“Cardiff Bay in particular has attracted large crowds over the past few days. The behaviour seen over the past three days has placed additional pressure on not only the police but the local authority as well, and meant that officers have been diverted from other parts of the force.
“The practicalities of policing such large gatherings is incredibly difficult and we do still have emergency calls to attend.
“A Section 35 dispersal order is now in place in Cardiff Bay, which gives officers and PCSOs the power to exclude a person from the area.
“We are asking people in groups of six or more who are thinking of attending or organising a gathering down at the Senedd over this bank holiday weekend not to do so.
“Three arrests were made on Friday evening. Our officers will be out and about around Cardiff Bay throughout the bank holiday weekend. We’d urge people to be sensible and not to breach the rules – we don’t want anyone to be given a fine or be arrested for public order offences.”
Yesterday afternoon there was a conspicuous police presence in the area with the steps around the Senedd completely sealed off, and officers patrolling Cardiff Bay area both on foot and on horseback.
Last month, the nearby Oval Basin was fenced off to prevent people gathering there.
This weekend’s was the third such crowd in a week, after crowds gathered on the steps of the Senedd on Tuesday and Wednesday evening.
On Tuesday evening, three police officers suffered minor injuries when
missiles – including bottles – were thrown, and a knife was found.
Cardiff council leader Huw Thomas said those involved were “selfish idiots”.
The latest gathering, which started on Friday evening, appeared to be significantly larger than those previously as aerial pictures showed hundreds in the area.
Earlier this week, First Minister Mark Drakeford said he was “shocked” by the amounts of litter and rubbish left outside the Senedd.
“I’ve seen the photographs and I’ve seen the accounts on television, and to be honest that is shocking,” he said.
“I’ve been a strong supporter of the police’s approach in Wales of inform, educate and persuade, and that is absolutely the right thing to do first.
“But where people deliberately and intentionally set out to do things that can cause a risk to other people, then both local authority and police have powers that they can use.
“It is selfish because they are not just putting themselves at risk. These are acts of selfishness.”
Mr Drakeford said he was concerned the progress Wales is making in controlling the spread of coronavirus could be undone by people ignoring the rules.
“I am concerned because when you see those scenes then it does tell us that there is a small minority of people in Wales who still somehow believe that coronavirus doesn’t mean them,” he added.
Yesterday morning, the now familiar scene of piles of rubbish, including broken bottles and gas canisters, could be seen.
Earlier this week, it took teams three hours to clear up the mess that had been left from Tuesday night, and on Thursday the teams were out early again. Yesterday, cleaning teams had been out since 4.30am.
A council spokesman said: “Once again our teams have been faced with the huge task of cleaning up a significant amount of rubbish left behind by large groups of people intent on breaking Covid-19 restrictions. Last night, bins were left unused and the ground was littered with rubbish. Council staff have been on site since the early hours of the morning, working hard to clear and clean the area.
“Despite the preventative measures put in place by the council, in partnership with South Wales Police, the Welsh Government’s coronavirus regulations were again broken by a significant number of people illegally gathering in Cardiff Bay.
“The rules are clear: six people, from two households are allowed to meet outdoors, maintaining twometre social distancing. Breaking these rules significantly increases the chances of Covid-19 cases rising in the city.”
Meanwhile, the Welsh Conservatives have called for outdoor hospitality to be reopened in Wales before the planned April 26 date.
Russell George, the shadow economy spokesman, said: “Labour ministers must have a rethink on outdoor hospitality.
“The huge gatherings we are seeing across Wales brings a number of challenges not just in the fight against coronavirus, from littering to antisocial behaviour. It’s going to be a very long month if we have decent weather and ministers need to view outdoor licensed premises with their various facilities and experience as part of the solution, not the problem.
“We’ve made great progress on case rates and the vaccination programme, and it would be a shame to see this work undone with gatherings which can’t be managed safely and effectively.
“Wales’ licensed premises have vast experience managing customers and have invested significant sums of money into making their facilities Covid-secure. Let’s trust business and let’s ensure we continue on the path of reopening Wales in a safe and manageable manner.”