Illegal Rave at the Dyke

[Lady Whistledown]

If I had been aware of it I would have gone up there and:
- smashed their amplifiers
- slashed the tyres of their vehicles

Then they would maybe think twice about ruining the peace and quiet of the countryside in future.

Would you? Would you REALLY?

 

[desprateseagull]

don't know if this has been posted already, but the telegraph has a cyclists point of view video, going through the area..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...k-holiday-ride-leads-him-to-illegal-rave.html

 

[goldstone]

Would you? Would you REALLY?

I would certainly have gone up there and taken some kind of action. That's the problem in this country ... people sit around wringing their hands complaining about stuff and never think of getting off their big fat bums and DOING something.

Letting the air out of all of their tyres would have certainly been fun. If not smashing the amplifiers, then at least making an attempt to unplug them. These kind of people should not be permitted to do as they wish .... and the police? Well, what a pathetic response ... we don't have the manpower ... well bloody get it then. What the hell do I pay my taxes for? So the police can sit around in their cars watching illegal activity and doing f. all? They're quick enough to book you for exceeding the speed limit by 11 mph, but stopping an illegal rave? Nah ... too much trouble. It's dark and cold out there (and noisy!)and the inside of this police car is nice and warm. I have much less respect for the police than I did when I was a kid and this kind of thing takes it down a good few more notches.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Please do tell me how you proposed the police would- within their lawful powers- have stopped this rave.

I'm all ears.

 

[goldstone]

Please do tell me how you proposed the police would- within their lawful powers- have stopped this rave.

I'm all ears.

1) Members of the public had complained about the noise. These complaints give police the power to stop the noise which they could have done by removing the amplifiers.

2) Apparently the majority of revellers were consuming illegal drugs. So arrest them.

3) They were leaving litter all over the South Downs National Park. Leaving litter is against the law so DO SOMETHING.

4) They were creating an obstruction with their vehicles, so remove them.

5) They cut through a gate to gain access to the site. I kinda assume that's against the law ... so make some arrests.

There's five opportunities for them to act .... and no doubt there were many more.

Maybe I should try having a picnic at Devils Dyke next weekend, bring a few friends, some bloody great amplifiers and play ear-splitting music. My guess is it would take less than an hour for the police to find some pretense to stop me. So why one rule for the individual and another for a rowdy mob of drug-fuelled ravers?

 

[The Fifth Column]

I would certainly have gone up there and taken some kind of action. That's the problem in this country ... people sit around wringing their hands complaining about stuff and never think of getting off their big fat bums and DOING something.

Letting the air out of all of their tyres would have certainly been fun. If not smashing the amplifiers, then at least making an attempt to unplug them. These kind of people should not be permitted to do as they wish .... and the police? Well, what a pathetic response ... we don't have the manpower ... well bloody get it then. What the hell do I pay my taxes for? So the police can sit around in their cars watching illegal activity and doing f. all? They're quick enough to book you for exceeding the speed limit by 11 mph, but stopping an illegal rave? Nah ... too much trouble. It's dark and cold out there (and noisy!)and the inside of this police car is nice and warm. I have much less respect for the police than I did when I was a kid and this kind of thing takes it down a good few more notches.

You're blaming the wrong people you fool. If the government funded the police adequately and they could put more than a handful out on the streets at one time then they might be able to do something about it. As for your whining about speeding do grow up, i know a few non traffic old bill and almost every one hates traffic or having to deal with anything traffic related and they rarely get involved as they are too busy being pulled from pillar to post dealing with crappy domestics, druggies, pissed up fights or someone complaining they got called a nasty name on facebook! I'm told that on an average night in Brighton & Hove we might have as few as 15-20 coppers policing the whole city, that really is a thin blue line. Its ok though as we've got tough guys like you willing to step up to the plate and wave your keyboard around at a rave in the dark, letting peoples tyres down and unplugging their amps lol.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

How the bleeding 'eck would you arrest over 2,000 people. For a start, how would all those police needed access the site? Drop them in via Blackhawk?

I'm purely guessing, but you would need north of 1,000 police to make so many arrests and set up a temporary camp to contain them all. An operation of that scale would surely need more than 24 hours to plan.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

1) Members of the public had complained about the noise. These complaints give police the power to stop the noise which they could have done by removing the amplifiers.

2) Apparently the majority of revellers were consuming illegal drugs. So arrest them.

3) They were leaving litter all over the South Downs National Park. Leaving litter is against the law so DO SOMETHING.

4) They were creating an obstruction with their vehicles, so remove them.

5) They cut through a gate to gain access to the site. I kinda assume that's against the law ... so make some arrests.

There's five opportunities for them to act .... and no doubt there were many more.

Maybe I should try having a picnic at Devils Dyke next weekend, bring a few friends, some bloody great amplifiers and play ear-splitting music. My guess is it would take less than an hour for the police to find some pretense to stop me. So why one rule for the individual and another for a rowdy mob of drug-fuelled ravers?

1) How do you propose removing amplifiers from a field containing (probably drunken) 2000 ravers using a dozen police officers? Do you think they'll just stand aside & let that happen?

2) How do you arrest 2000 drugged up ravers using a dozen (maybe a few more if we're lucky) police officers? Also, possession of a controlled drug is an offence, but someone can't be arrested if they've already taken it.

3) Not sure quite what you expect the police to do about the litter: magic up some spare police officers (the hundreds who aren't arresting 2000 drug possessors/ noisy types I assume) to go round with bags & pick it up maybe.

4) Vehicles could be removed if they were obstructing the road, evidently the decision was taken that they weren't, and by that stage, other issues were prioritised.

5) Which one of the 2000 ravers was the one who damaged the gate, please? Do let Sussex Police know when you've found out, as unfortunately he/she hasn't confessed yet.

You should apply to be the Police & Crime Commissioner next time the job comes up. It would be great to have a few hundred more police officers in Sussex, and it seems you know where to find them. I'd vote for you.

 

[Albumen]

1) How do you propose removing amplifiers from a field containing (probably drunken) 2000 ravers using a dozen police officers? Do you think they'll just stand aside & let that happen?

2) How do you arrest 2000 drugged up ravers using a dozen (maybe a few more if we're lucky) police officers? Also, possession of a controlled drug is an offence, but someone can't be arrested if they've already taken it.

3) Not sure quite what you expect the police to do about the litter: magic up some spare police officers (the hundreds who aren't arresting 2000 drug possessors/ noisy types I assume) to go round with bags & pick it up maybe.

4) Vehicles could be removed if they were obstructing the road, evidently the decision was taken that they weren't, and by that stage, other issues were prioritised.

5) Which one of the 2000 ravers was the one who damaged the gate, please? Do let Sussex Police know when you've found out, as unfortunately he/she hasn't confessed yet.

You should apply to be the Police & Crime Commissioner next time the job comes up. It would be great to have a few hundred more police officers in Sussex, and it seems you know where to find them. I'd vote for you.

Haha.

 

[The Fifth Column]

1) Members of the public had complained about the noise. These complaints give police the power to stop the noise which they could have done by removing the amplifiers.

Really, what powers are they then?

2) Apparently the majority of revellers were consuming illegal drugs. So arrest them.

Its not practical or safe or possible to arrest that many people and where would you propose to put a couple of hundred pissed/drugged prisoners. And consuming drugs isnt arrestable, being in possession is, do you really think it feasible to search up to 2000 ravers?

3) They were leaving litter all over the South Downs National Park. Leaving litter is against the law so DO SOMETHING.

Really, i mean REALLY? So as well as the hundreds arrested for drugs the police should deal with the hundreds of litter louts? What planet are you on?

4) They were creating an obstruction with their vehicles, so remove them.

If your ridiculous suggestions so far havent created a scene of major violent disorder if not riot then this probably will tip the situation over the edge. Whilst the 3000 police required are fighting a battle with the drunken drugged prisoners and litter louts, another 300 officers and 50 recovery vehicles can deal with the dozens of cars needed to be removed, simple, utter genius.

5) They cut through a gate to gain access to the site. I kinda assume that's against the law ... so make some arrests.

Who are 'they'? Im sure the police will easily identify the person who cut the gate open whilst the battle of devils dyke rages on around them.

There's five opportunities for them to act .... and no doubt there were many more.

Maybe I should try having a picnic at Devils Dyke next weekend, bring a few friends, some bloody great amplifiers and play ear-splitting music. My guess is it would take less than an hour for the police to find some pretense to stop me. So why one rule for the individual and another for a rowdy mob of drug-fuelled ravers?

It was far safer and less of a problem to simply let the rave continue and naturally peter out once the surrounding roads were closed than to mobilise the entire manpower of sussex police and start a war.

 

[joeywortho]

haha Goldstone seems like a nice chap

 

[Lady Whistledown]

For what it's worth, I know how miserable the rave made a lot of people over that weekend, I've no doubt it caused considerable upset, especially to those with kids, shift workers and so on. I saw all the calls complaining about it.

But I also know exactly how many police officers are on duty in Brighton & Hove and Mid Sussex at any given time, and I can tell you now, there was zero prospect of successfully and shutting down a rave of that size using the resources available. If you used every single front line PC on duty in the county at that time, they'd still be massively outnumbered by ravers, & that's of course leaving nobody left to respond to 999 calls going on everywhere else in Sussex (it was also a bank holiday weekend, when 999 call levels are higher than normal anyway).

Easy for the Argus to jump on the anti-police bandwagon- they always do anyway- but I can tell you for nothing that there was really very little that could have safely (and within the boundaries of the law) been done on this occasion.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

At Wiston over the weekend there was the Big Church Day Out - which is a festival for young christians and they play loud music all weekend which can be heard in Steyning. Due to I assume wind direction, the noise was less than previous years, but it is never unpleasant, and it is only one weekend in the year. I do think there should be more of a live and let live attitude.

An illegal rave is not a good thing - but was it really that terrible ? There are worse thing that happen to get angry about.

I would much prefer the Police to carry on as they are - keep an eye on things, but have their resources ready for far more serious stuff like assaults, domestic violence, and yes, speeding motorists.

 

[TheJasperCo]

For what it's worth, I know how miserable the rave made a lot of people over that weekend, I've no doubt it caused considerable upset, especially to those with kids, shift workers and so on. I saw all the calls complaining about it.

But I also know exactly how many police officers are on duty in Brighton & Hove and Mid Sussex at any given time, and I can tell you now, there was zero prospect of successfully and shutting down a rave of that size using the resources available. If you used every single front line PC on duty in the county at that time, they'd still be massively outnumbered by ravers, & that's of course leaving nobody left to respond to 999 calls going on everywhere else in Sussex (it was also a bank holiday weekend, when 999 call levels are higher than normal anyway).

Easy for the Argus to jump on the anti-police bandwagon- they always do anyway- but I can tell you for nothing that there was really very little that could have safely (and within the boundaries of the law) been done on this occasion.

What happens in a riot situation (not saying this was a riot of course, but in terms of numbers), surely each police force has like a Tactical Aid Unit (like the Met does) to respond to large crowds or protests? Or would it have meant drafting in officers from other parts of the country?

I can see both sides of the argument: I feel for the local residents, but I can see how the Police were in an impossible situation.

 

[Doc Lynam]

1) How do you propose removing amplifiers from a field containing (probably drunken) 2000 ravers using a dozen police officers? Do you think they'll just stand aside & let that happen?

2) How do you arrest 2000 drugged up ravers using a dozen (maybe a few more if we're lucky) police officers? Also, possession of a controlled drug is an offence, but someone can't be arrested if they've already taken it.

3) Not sure quite what you expect the police to do about the litter: magic up some spare police officers (the hundreds who aren't arresting 2000 drug possessors/ noisy types I assume) to go round with bags & pick it up maybe.

4) Vehicles could be removed if they were obstructing the road, evidently the decision was taken that they weren't, and by that stage, other issues were prioritised.

5) Which one of the 2000 ravers was the one who damaged the gate, please? Do let Sussex Police know when you've found out, as unfortunately he/she hasn't confessed yet.

You should apply to be the Police & Crime Commissioner next time the job comes up. It would be great to have a few hundred more police officers in Sussex, and it seems you know where to find them. I'd vote for you.

Thanks for the heads up on that one.

 

[Poyningsgull]

Call out the army

After all that then, we should have gone with my original suggestion.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Thanks for the heads up on that one.

Caveat on that: if you've swallowed a condom-load of wraps with the intention of passing it later & doing whatever with it, you'll be locked up in the room with the big clear toilet for nature to take it's course

 

[Lady Whistledown]

What happens in a riot situation (not saying this was a riot of course, but in terms of numbers), surely each police force has like a Tactical Aid Unit (like the Met does) to respond to large crowds or protests? Or would it have meant drafting in officers from other parts of the country?

I can see both sides of the argument: I feel for the local residents, but I can see how the Police were in an impossible situation.

Same here. I know it annoyed the hell out of residents, and I can understand their view.

Each force has it's share of public order trained units, but they're just normal officers who have a particular skill set. They can call them all in on overtime, but they'd have to justify the expense of that.

Any police force only has a finite number of resources to call on. The difference between this and something like the recent March For England and counter protest is that this was spontaneous, not planned (at least, not planned in the sense that police & local authorities were notified). The first time police were aware of it was in the small hours when the ravers were already on site & the noise complaints started to come in. With the MFE, police were drafted in months in advance to cater for all eventualities.

You simply can't shut down a rave of 2000 people with twenty officers (well, not in this country, I'm sure they probably have ways & means in some places, but as a general rule- yes, I know- we try to keep to lawful means). Given that nobody was being seriously harmed or property seriously damaged on this occasion, there was no prospect of police being called in from other forces to assist, as the expense simply could not be justified. It would be different if there was some sort of threat to life, of course.

Sussex has about 3000 officers, give or take. You don't even want to know how many of them are available on frontline duties at any given moment...

 

[wakeytom]

I would certainly have gone up there and taken some kind of action. That's the problem in this country ... people sit around wringing their hands complaining about stuff and never think of getting off their big fat bums and DOING something.

Letting the air out of all of their tyres would have certainly been fun. If not smashing the amplifiers, then at least making an attempt to unplug them. These kind of people should not be permitted to do as they wish .... and the police? Well, what a pathetic response ... we don't have the manpower ... well bloody get it then. What the hell do I pay my taxes for? So the police can sit around in their cars watching illegal activity and doing f. all? They're quick enough to book you for exceeding the speed limit by 11 mph, but stopping an illegal rave? Nah ... too much trouble. It's dark and cold out there (and noisy!)and the inside of this police car is nice and warm. I have much less respect for the police than I did when I was a kid and this kind of thing takes it down a good few more notches.

11 mph over the speed limit could kill someone, which again some music in a field cannot, the police did the right thing and to be honest the decent thing, other than a few local residents having a bit of music nothing else happened, definitely not someone been killed by a speeding motorist!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Maybe I should try having a picnic at Devils Dyke next weekend, bring a few friends, some bloody great amplifiers and play ear-splitting music.

Top one. I am disappointed at missing this weekend's rave so I'll pop along. Sorted.