SECURITY - Issues

[I Love Glastonbury]

I've been to the Glastonbury Festival every year since 1997, and this is the first time that I've felt a need to raise issues relating to the way that the Security Company (SLS?) has acted this year.

In previous years Security have conducted random searches in order to ensure that no glass bottles or 'weapons' are brought onto the site - which is unarguably sensible. This year they appear to have extended their 'remit' to include the searching for, and confiscation of, illicit substances.

This year I stayed in one of the campervan fields, and therefore had to pass through the Security gate at least twice daily, entering and leaving the site. What I saw, experienced, and was told about does not sit comfortably.

1. RANDOM SEARCHES - these did not appear to be 'random' - one guy I spoke with got searched on three separate occasions over three days. When there was only a trickle of people coming onsite they searched everyone, if there were spare Security staff sitting around doing nothing. I spoke with Security when being stopped myself - he claimed that they could stop and search anyone, and without having reasonable suspicion (seems that they have more power than the police on this issue). When challenging their right to me being searched, I was asked in a surly manner "Do you want to go into the festival?". They were very nice to me after my consenting to their search and them not finding anything, but I've heard them being overjoyed at finding someones personal stash, and lecturing them on the wrongs of their activities. I've also heard stories of people being asked to remove their wellies whilst being searched !!

2. BEHAVIOUR - I witnessed one occasion where Security were driving their 4x4 at speed down a path - people having to jump out of the way to avoid being run over. Another time as I was leaving the site, back to the campervan field, I watched as someone was manhandled and verbally threatened by Security staff, before being bundled into the back of an awaiting van with 'SLS' emblazoned on its side. I don't know the reason why he was asked to leave, but the level of force used to evict him appeared to be unreasonably excessive.

3. Other thoughts...

a) No record appears to be kept of how many people are searched, how many are 'clean' and how many have items confiscated. What accountability is in place ?

What happens to all confiscated items ?

c) At what point, if at all, do the police become involved with regards confiscated items ?

Glastonbury festival is THE place to be - the best in the world, but my personal experiences of the way Security have handled things this year, such as the above incidents, and others stories reported elsewhere in this forum are well out of order.

[greg1999]

personally i didn't have any problems with them, but got speaking to afew who had.

agree on the behaviour though, a couple of times their 4x4s came tearing past us without warning. arseholes.

Edited July 1, 2009 by greg1999

[Mooglemeg]

agree about over zealous searches at gate c - we got searched almost every time and one occasion was even asked to remove my hat

[posthuman]

Erm, it was exactly the same last year.

The terms and conditions on your ticket stated:

"You may be searched at the entrance. Any items which the organisers consider may be used in an illegal or offensive manner will be confiscated. Persons suspected of carrying out illegal and / or offensive activities onsite may be searched."

Agreed that there may be a lack of oversight but the conditions do provide for you to be searched for drugs, either on a random basis or targeted basis.

Legally they do have more powers than police to search you because you are on private land and by purchasing a ticket you consented to the entry conditions, including that you will be searched. You're perfectly within your rights to refuse a search, but this means that you will fail to have complied with the conditions of entry, and therefore you can be refused entry to the site.

Sorry to be blunt, but the festival needs to be seen to be acting on drugs to keep the local council happy and therefore to keep its license. Sure, the festival could probably do with improving the oversight levels and customer service skills of security staff, but it sounds to me that you're more opposed to the principle of being searched for drugs in the first place.

Edited July 1, 2009 by posthuman

[eFestivals]

What happens to all confiscated items ?

very very sadly, they're used by security for themselves or sold on.

Friends of mine who used to do security or stewarding no longer will do as they've become sick of this going on.

It seems to be the case that these arseholes target youngsters - I guess because they think they won't kick up anywhere near as much fuss.

If I were to get searched and them find something illicit, I'd insist that they called the old bill if they wanted to confiscate it. As far as I'm concerned (and this might be wrong from a legal perspective, I'm not 100% sure) the security and stewards have no more right to be in possession of such illicit substances as the person they might confiscate it from.

[504329lt]

We stayed in the campervan field and had to go through the checkpoint regularly.

The security were complete arseholes. We had a child in a buggy who they nearly crushed in their hurry to close a gate so one of their vehicles could pass.

They seem to have far too much power and are comprised of the sort of sad individuals who rejoice in each small triumph they have over individuals. They generally remind me of a cross bewteen Gareth (from The Office) and Alan Partridge.

Looking in bags for glass is one thing, going through peoples pockets is another. What is the legal situation regarding this? I presume the order must come from the festival itself.

I'm not sure what the answer is.

PS - The Oxfam Stewards who are present after the SLS Scum couldn't be nicer.

[thegremlin_1999]

agree about over zealous searches at gate c - we got searched almost every time and one occasion was even asked to remove my hat

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I think you are going to have to make 2 clear distinctions between the security.

The guys in the 4x4's are the TX Units and form the Response Groups, and are a totally separate entity to the guys on the Gates.

You are entitled to a receipt for confiscated items, and for those items taken at the campervan entry they where stored, and folk had until 6pm on the Monday to collect them. The stuff I took receipt of was not sold or given away, although many folk just said keep it (all this was recorded, and a regular update was sent to our control). But this wasn't on Gate C, but the road entry into the campervans.

However, as our compound was in the campervan fields, we had to use Gate C all the time, and I was never searched once, yet some of the younger folk got searched everytime. A pain when you realise that our canteen was on site as well.

At the end of the day, their only job is to perform searches and that is all they do.

Edited July 1, 2009 by Rufus Gwertigan

[THEBOILERMAN]

i can only completly agree with your comments i have been going to Glastonbury since 1981 and have never experieced the surly attitude by security before.

having arrived with a group of 6 and walked straight throught with the first load (barrow etc) i went back to collect an ikea bag of various items, i was stopped at the gate and asked by the most misable git i have ever met to submit to a bag search, i told him to do whatever he wanted. he then spent the next 10 mins taking everything out of the bag at a snails pace and looking at it as if he was an alien and had never seen a roll of gaffer tape before.

once he had found Nothing contraversal he was most upset when i insisted that HE put it all back in the bag (that took him twice as long)

he then insisted that i empty my pockets which i did, he ignored my multibladed camping knife and wanted to search my wallet, i refused and just open it up for him to show him contents.

he seemed genuinly disappointed that he had found no drugs, from talking to other poeple there appears to of been no records of searches/confiscations, whilst it can not be proved i am convinced the vast majority of drug confiscations ended up for sale on site.

[alframsey]

agree about over zealous searches at gate c - we got searched almost every time and one occasion was even asked to remove my hat

[paulo999]

A few things to note:

In recent years Avon & Somerset Police policy has switched to zero tolerance on drugs at the festival. It's possible that security's search policy has been upped to match this.

With regards to speeding vehicles, it's something the festival takes very seriously. There are big signs up near the farm stating a £50 fine for breaking the site speed limit. There are people that do it of course, but some do get caught and get a bollocking at the very least.

For evictions, the process changed this year. Potential evictees were taken to an eviction tent near Gate A. Once there they would be processed and a decision made as to whether they could remain on site. This was to make the process (and decision) consistent.

[TalkShow Bob]

A few things to note:

In recent years Avon & Somerset Police policy has switched to zero tolerance on drugs at the festival. It's possible that security's search policy has been upped to match this.

With regards to speeding vehicles, it's something the festival takes very seriously. There are big signs up near the farm stating a £50 fine for breaking the site speed limit. There are people that do it of course, but some do get caught and get a bollocking at the very least.

For evictions, the process changed this year. Potential evictees were taken to an eviction tent near Gate A. Once there they would be processed and a decision made as to whether they could remain on site. This was to make the process (and decision) consistent.

[Katster]

As far as I'm concerned (and this might be wrong from a legal perspective, I'm not 100% sure) the security and stewards have no more right to be in possession of such illicit substances as the person they might confiscate it from.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

That's how I understand it and I do work quite closely with a bloke involved in the training of security staff.

[lord stradmor]

My car got searched for the first time in 30 years on Friday, but it was pretty perfunctory - I could have hidden stash anywhere in the vehicle - mostly they were looking for booze in glass and relying on the gate guards to check for drugs.

AFAIK if they did find drugs at the pedestrian gates they were supposed to stick the drugs in a plastic box, hold the individual concerned and call in the rozzers to deal with it. i saw a few people waiting at the gate to be handed over like that looking pissed off.

Up at Global Gathering they use police sniffer dogs and bvirtually strip search so there wasn't much to complain about really, There seemed to be an almost total lack of dope on sale.

Or maybe I look so much like a policeman these days, all the dealers in the Greenfield were giving me a wide berth...

[Cooter]

Yeah WAVES were involved with the evictions process this year. They have been at Reading for a while now, there very good. A team of people listen to what happened and call the shots, they also make sure that the evictee was not ill-treated by and that security did not over step the mark.

[wintermute]

Security on gate C were an absolute shower of b$stards.

I've camped in the campervan field previously but this year the level of searching was ridiculous.

Of our little group of three we were searched 7 times in 6 entries. My mrs was searched 3 times, inc one guard (female granted) asking her to lift the underside of her bra and shake her tits about and feeling around inside her trouser seam. WTF???

They found NOTHING, but the same security guard searched her the next day and repeated the whole stupid palarver.

Its just how it is I guess, but she says she wont be going to Glasto again. The tw$ts humiliated her (in her eyes) and sadly it did her head in completely.

By the way, I'm 40 my lovely mrs is mid 30s so it wasnt just youngsters that they were searching. Saturday afternoon, they were going through the bottom of a pram.

Shame, but thats how it is, running the gauntlet through stinky gate C.

Good year other than that though. Enjoyed it!

[Cooter]

Apologies fopr generalising but gate C and the hill of death is becoming well known for security hassle. Probably mainly because alot of campervanners are going back and forth all weekend restocking on beer and other stuff, or at least thats what the security assume. Its like a constant supply of fresh meat for the security rather than the other normal car park gates, where once punters are in they are in.

Edited July 1, 2009 by Cooter

[beadfc]

I wasn't searched or anything over the weekend, but really had a problem with the 'Response Team' that was employed. On Saturday night around 1am, a few of us joined the massive queue along the railway line to get into Shangri-La. It was packed, people were hot and just trudging along for what seemed like ages. If anyone got to a point where they didnt want to wait anymore, they were not allowed to walk back and out the queue, they just had to deal with waiting for 45 minutes to get in. I have never seen anywhere so packed.

Also, as we were leaving on Sunday night, the Oxfam stewards on Gate A were really nice and chatty and the security guys were just the most miserable people ever. They just really didn't get what the whole festival was about and just didn't want to be there. We saw one security guy take an ice cream out of an Oxfam stewards hand and throw it on the floor, saying "stop being a twat and start being professional". Nobber. They were proper meatheads, just there to throw their weight around.

Edited July 1, 2009 by beadfc

[504329lt]

It would be better if the campervan field was incorporated properly so that there was no need to constantly travel through the checkpoint.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

It would be better if the campervan field was incorporated properly so that there was no need to constantly travel through the checkpoint.

[Katster]

I would say you are correct. However there requirements that are covered under the the Certificate for Licensees, and that covers the festival security who can confiscate suspected illicit drugs (or refuse entry). However they need to follow the regulations to dispose of them.

[beergut100]

I agree. I think a seperate gate for Campervan folk, or at least have the easy pass outs like staff have.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

Well, if it was me, I would demand the police took my stuff, I wouldn't allow security to confiscate it. I know it wouldn't get me anywhere, and I might be in a worse position if I was cautioned or whatever, but I don't care. I'm not letting some jobs worth who thinks they are above the law sell my drugs on!!

I agree they can refuse entry, that's fair enough.

[elliot6]

This seems to be everyone being frankly oversensitive. The festival needs to be seen to be proactive in preventing crime and drug taking occuring on site so the fact that security are looking in peoples pockets and wallets shouldnt be a surprise to anyone! There is questions about what is done with the confiscated substabces which definitely needs to be more transparent and open but other than that SLS seemed to be doing a good job.