Glastonbury 2005 "one of the safest"

According to Avon & Somerset Police, the 2005 Glastonbury Festival was "one of the safest in the events history".

Excluding drug offences, reported crime fell by 19% compared with 2004 (with 304 recorded offences in 2005). Total recorded crime (including drug offences) is down by a massive 87% since the 2000 Festival.

There was an increase this year in recorded drug offences, up from 102 in 2004 to 205. However, this was primarily due to proactive policing by both the Police and Festival security teams, with the aim of cracking down on people involved in the use and dealing of illegal drugs. Despite the increase in offences, drug seizures fell by 33%.

Festival commander and main police planner for the festival, Supt Adrian Coombs, said "There was an increase in the number of drug related crimes, but that is due to Police working closer with the Festival security to stop and search people coming on site with the aim of using or supplying illegal drugs. People are getting the message that Glastonbury is not an event to bring illegal drugs too."

Detected crime also showed a huge improvement at Glastonbury 2005 with a 41 per cent rise in the number of crimes solved by officers, and a total of 112 arrests were made.

One of the main objectives of the last two year’s has been to reduce the impact of the festival on villagers living in Pilton, and this year saw 93 per cent of recorded crime happen on the Festival site – meaning the village remained largely crime free throughout the event.

Supt Coombs said "We are very pleased with the way in which Glastonbury 2005 went and that is largely due to the planning before the event which goes on with the organisers and Mendip District Council. Every Glastonbury brings new challenges, but this year we believe the Festival was one of the safest ever, and the figures back that up."

He added "It is again due to the tri-partite approach that we have managed to work with local people and reduce the number of incidents occurring in the surrounding villages to Worthy Farm, in particular Pilton. The feedback I have received from the local community has been very complimentary and many of the officers on site this year felt there was a great spirit among those who came to enjoy the event."

For the first time this year, the Police have been reimbursed all general policing costs from the Festival.

2006 sees the Festival take a year off, but it's expected to return in June 2007.

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