All-night rave ‘too risky to shut down’

A HUGE illegal rave near Frome took police eight hours to deal with at the weekend and was heard for miles around, lasting from around midnight  on Saturday to 10am on Sunday 15th May.

Police were first called at 1.30am to address concerns about the rave taking place in the Vallis Vale area near Great Elm, but couldn’t stop the music until 9.30am because there were ‘several hundred’ people there.

Avon and Somerset Constabulary said the ratio of available police officers to the hundreds of party-goers meant that attempting to shut down the rave in full swing was too risky. The move has sparked concern about night policing in the area.

Local resident and university lecturer, Jason Hart, wrote to the MP and police commissioner with his concerns.

He said, “The second time I called police I was told that due to crowd numbers and the small number of available officers, it was deemed unsafe to try and intervene. The person on the end of the phone apologised but said that nothing could be done.

“Effectively, the situation suggests that we lack adequate forces to ensure that the law is upheld during nighttime hours.

“What would happen if crime was being committed by violent criminals during the same hours?”

A statement from Chief Superintendent Ian Smith said, “Unlicensed music events pose a serious risk to public safety and our primary focus had to be on bringing the event to a safe and controlled conclusion.

“There were a large number of people in attendance and we needed to have the right number of resources in place to make sure they could leave without putting themselves or others at risk.

“We’re aware there has been significant disruption to local residents and we’d like to assure people we were using all available powers to close it down safely. We’d like to apologise for the disruption caused and would also like to thank those affected for their patience while we dealt with this incident.

“We’ll be carrying out an investigation to establish the full circumstances and to ensure all criminal offences are pursued.”

At 6.18am police said they were on site and stopping people going in or out of the area. They also confirmed that a power-cut experienced by some residents was not related to the event.

The event made national headlines on Monday morning and sparked a big debate among local people on Facebook. Some were frustrated by the sleepless night, but most said people should be able to have a good time.

One comment read, “People should be able to enjoy themselves but not upset others, the inconsiderate ones may realise this when they grow up, have kids or need to get some sleep due to working the next day.”

Another said, “We live in Vallis. This sort of this happens two or three times a year. It’s not a problem and it really doesn’t hurt anyone. In fact we quite like it really as people should be aloud [sic] to have fun from time to time! Mind you, at about 4am I did find myself saying ‘I don’t think they will be whistling this in 50 years time’.”