FESTIVAL-GOERS THANKED AS ARRESTS FALL:
THE number of arrests at the Creamfields dance music festival has dropped to the lowest level in recent years.
Cheshire police reported that officers made 29 arrests at the 2021 event during the five-day August Bank Holiday event, with a further 27 people to be dealt with via the criminal justice system at a later date.
This was a sharp fall from the last Creamfields festival in 2019, when there were 37 arrests and a further 59 people facing action at a future time.
Although small changes with relatively small numbers can exaggerate the sense of scale of the difference, the drop equated to a fall of about 22% in arrests.
The decrease appears to part of an ongoing trend.
In 2018, Cheshire police reported 51 arrests with 68 further festivalgoers to face later action, and in 2017, the force reported 151 arrests, with no figures provided for the number to be dealt with at a later date.
This means the number of people who faced some kind of law enforcement sanction in 2017 dropped by 63% to this year’s total of 56 revellers.
There was no Creamfields festival in 2020 due to Covid-19.
A Cheshire Constabulary spokesman said 106 crimes were reported at the 2021 festival, most of them drug-related.
The force has thanked “the vast majority” of revellers for their cooperation and good behaviour.
The spokesman said the force’s “top priority” for 2021 was “ensuring people stayed safe”, and involved a “significant” policing operation during the course of the festival and in the planning phase.
He said the constabulary worked closely with the organisers and other agencies to maximise safety and limit any adverse impact on residents living nearby.
Preparation was made more challenging due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
Superintendent Simon Parsonage, who led the Creamfields 2021 policing operation, 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 said: “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.”
The spokesman said a multiagency debrief will be held in due course to review in more detail what went well and where improvements can be made for the future.