Security stepped up to make city’s festival ‘safest ever’
THE ORGANISER of Leeds Festival has reassured music fans that this year’s event will be the safest ever after working closely with police anti-terrorist experts to ‘dramatically’ increase security.
Melvin Benn’s pledge follows the recent spate of terrorist attacks, including a suicide bombing which killed 22 people and injured more than 100 others at American singer Ariana Grande’s Manchester Arena gig.
Mr Benn said that security at next month’s Leeds Festival and its sister event in Reading will mean bag searches may take longer, but festival-goers should get on site faster after an investment in extra training, resources and bigger entry lanes.
He admitted the biggest change will be allowing only A4sized bags into the main arena itself – which is now common practice at most concert venues. Backstage security will also be stepped up with sniffer dogs used on production vehicles at the venue in Bramham Park.
Mr Benn said: “We are providing an environment that is as safe as is possible. Trust me, we are working with terrorism experts in West Yorkshire Police, Thames Valley Police and up and down the country.
“Our security provision has gone up very dramatically. We are investing in a huge amount of extra training and resources in order to provide that reassurance.
“In the main there won’t be much more additional delay. We will put extra resource in to make the lanes bigger and people will be able to come through faster.”
He added: “What we are doing, very rapidly, is changing the culture and people are embracing it. We are in a changed world. But we’re not giving in to any of these threats or demands or anything like that, we are just working through it.”
The measures apply to the Leeds and Reading festivals – running on August 25 to 27 – where this year’s big name acts include Eminem, Kasabian, Muse and exOasis frontman Liam Gallagher.
Mr Benn, the managing director of Festival Republic, produced the One Love Manchester benefit concert which raised more than £10m in response to the bomb attack carried out by 22-year-old Salman Abedi on May 22. The benefit concert brought together artists including Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Take That.
Mr Benn claimed his organisation learned an “enormous amount” about improving security at the Manchester concert which would be employed at other events.