Crack down on gangs at Glasto

[travelling mr pastry]

hes clearly desperate for something thats 10 inches long...

[farewellandgoodnight]

hes clearly desperate for something thats 10 inches long...

Edited June 21, 2009 by farewellandgoodnight

[travelling mr pastry]

Ha! Let's hope somebody reports him to security eh? Don't go bringing weapons onto site. It's all about the peace and love innit?

[Billy09]

In fairness I am never more tooled up than at Glastonbury, with a knife, and a hammer, inches from where I sleep along with a variety of heavy objects. I wouldn't in a million years use them on a tent thief, but depending on circumstances (ie chances of winning quickly calculated) might try and restrain them and take them to security.

[farewellandgoodnight]

i dont know, one of the best nights on my first festival was watching a blackbelt do tricks with nunchucks he'd smuggled in. but yeah bringing a large knife is abit much really

[travelling mr pastry]

its always baffled me why all these yob kids you hear about dont walk around in a chefs hat, perfect excuse init

[Chimps in Balaclavas]

Someone mentioned this in another thread and I agree, thieves should be blacklisted from the festival.

When caught, they should be marched off the site & their details marked on the database so that they are never able to return in the future.

Dealers don't bother me, you don't have to buy their shite .. it's the thieves that tick me off, ruining someone's holiday for financial gain.

That's why everything of value (including crates of beer) will be dragged along to the lock-ups daily.

I'd rather queue up 10 mins each day for my stuff (with piece of mind) than to find out that someone has took something from my tent.

I can't wait .. 3 days .. see you all there.

Edited June 21, 2009 by DAVA

[Storm_NL]

In all fairness fella, what are you doing carrying a knife around with you? Not cool!!!!

Edited June 21, 2009 by Storm_NL

[rabid]

..and I just measure it, and it's not 10 inches.

That would be a little excessive.

[Storm_NL]

I've got 12 inches but I don't use it as a rule.

[rabid]

Have you ever stabbed a thief with it?

[abu hamster]

Scummy twunts!

[Storm_NL]

Wouldn't be able to sit down for a week if I did!

[Storm_NL]

Just think carrying a knife under any circumstances unless it's for work or something is a bit out of order.

[rabid]

It'll certainly make it easier to pick 'em out of a line-up...

[farewellandgoodnight]

I agree.

You shouldn't carry knives.

But my penknife is packed in my rucksack, and if they start confiscating pen-knifes from people, then they might as well start confiscating any sharp objects, much in the way they do at UK airports.

Big job.

Anyhoo.. this is really all getting away from the point...

[Storm_NL]

The one walking like John Wayne.

Oh, hold on. You were talking about knives weren't you.

[Storm_NL]

Haha, fair enough. Penknives aren't an issue. Thought you were going all Crocodile Dundee there though.

[TimS]

A curious thing... the police report 800 tent thefts in 2008... the festival press office (on the Saturday) said there was just 1.

Glasto 2008 Saturday Crime Stats

Whilst I'm sure some thefts happen later in the festival (as people get short of stuff) and some crime reports will be filed after the festival finishes, a jump from 1 theft between Wednesday and Saturday to 800 by Monday - an increase of 79900% - is just totally unbelievable.

I think two things are at play here:

1/ A Police PR stunt to deter tent theives

2/ Justification for increased police presence at the festival

Some people may think this doesn't matter, but I think it does... talk of 'gangs of thieves' touring the site is very bad PR for Glasto, it encourages a climate of fear and ultimately brings nothing to the average festival goer, but intrusion.

Anyone agree?

Edited June 22, 2009 by TimS

[TimS]

I'll correct myself before anyone else does... the photo actually reads 1 arrested tent thief (not 1 tent theft), so the stats above are not correct - but I still think there's a valid point in there somewhere.

Edited June 22, 2009 by TimS

[lovelessrapture]

It's interesting that the most crimes were reported after the Wednesday/Thursday night as I thought that was the time when most nicking took place. But then I guess people don't report it straight away so it's difficult to tell from those figures.

But hopefully we'll see a drop in the actual number of thefts, although everybody whom said the txt'ing system will superficially increase the numbers are completely right.

[travelling mr pastry]

did you go last year? there were peoples tents getting robbed all over the shop last year, i know this for a fact

[Buglet]

Whilst anthing that cuts tent thefts has got to be a good thing, do we really want to give the pedants and the busybodies a hotline to security?? I can foresee 650 texts reporting me for smoking in the John Peel tent, more if they get a good whiff of it.

[TimS]

Completely agree!

Whilst crime is a tragedy for all those who suffer from it, there is a balance to be struck... which is why I'm always a bit warey of statements like...

Sounds good. ANything to reduce crime has to be good!

[Storm_NL]

I am not against the police in anyway, but the words "crackdown" and "Glastonbury" just don't fit together for me - it's so far away from where the festival has come.