Security

The only way to ensure that you don't lose something that is precious to you is not to take it!

Like any big gathering, the Festival will of course attract an element of people who are going to commit crime. There's been a lot of thievery, particularly up to 2000 - 2002 was better. However, it's quite possible that the thieves will buy tickets now they're convinced they'll need them ... so remain vigilant. The worst effected areas for crime always seemed to be the camping areas nearest the Dance Tent.

There are ways to lessen the chances of theft and its effects:
camp as far from the central area as possible - the more central camping areas tend to have the most theft.
don't leave anything valuable in your tent. If you bring anything that really is valuable, use the free lockers.

Considering that over 177,000 people are solidly partying for 3 days, we're quite a well behaved lot really!

A padlock on a tent can be a bad idea. It's like putting a big sign up saying "something worth stealing here", and so to get at it they slash your tent, so that's gone too! The best idea is to take nothing that you want to risk losing, so that if the unthinkable happens, and your whole tent gets stolen (which does sometimes happen) then you just shrug your shoulders and get on with having a good time. What would you gain by fretting anyway? If you do have to take valuable items, use the security lockers.

If you do lose something, not only is it worth reporting to the police (the police compound is near the farmhouse), but it is worth checking at Lost Property (at the wagonshed by the farmhouse) - a huge amount of lost property is handed in every year - a few years ago, a friend lost her purse, and got it back within 1 hour. OK, so the money had gone, but everything else was there - driving licence, etc.

If the worst does happen, you'll be most likely to get your stuff back if your gear is postcoded and labelled.

Make friends with your neighbours - if everyone looks out for each other then your stuff will be safer.

If you see crime take place, or people acting suspiciously, report it to the campsite stewards or the police who are patrolling - they are there for your benefit, and to deal with these sort of incidents.

Also check out the general festivals security page here.

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