Police shares this info ahead of Bestival later this week. Ed
As with previous years Hampshire Constabulary will be onsite at Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight this weekend (September 8 – 12) for Bestival 2016.
Please follow @FestivalCop on Twitter and the #Bestival for the latest updates across the weekend.
If you are travelling to the Isle of Wight, we would also urge you to plan your journey to and from the festival in advance and follow @IslandRoads on Twitter.
Please also visit the official Bestival Website for crime prevention advice.
Priority to make Bestival a safe event
Pre-event message from Superintendent Andy Houghton, Silver Commander for Bestival 2016:
“Our priority is to make Bestival a safe event, working alongside the event organisers and other partners.
“We have been faced with some challenges, such as bad weather, over the years, but I’m confident that the Bestival organisers are committed to running a safe and secure event, that the whole family can enjoy.
“We have a full policing operation on site throughout the event including our mobile police office where festival-goers can speak to officers and receive crime prevention advice and kit such as our ‘sockies’ to help you keep your valuables safe from would-be thieves.
“We have worked alongside Isle of Wight Council, Island Roads, and Bestival’s traffic management organisers to minimise traffic congestion on the roads surrounding the site, although as with any event, traffic on those routes will be heavy especially on the Thursday as people arrive, and Monday as people exit.
“We’ll also be working closely with the ferry companies and patrolling routes on the mainland to ensure that traffic doesn’t cause an issue elsewhere. Please follow all agencies social media feeds for the latest updates.”
Zero tolerance on drugs
He finished by saying,
“We will be maintaining a robust position on drugs and psychoactive substances, all of which are banned from the site. If you are found with drugs or psychoactive substances you will at the very least be ejected from site and barred from returning, and there is a very good chance you will be arrested and prosecuted.
“Even just dabbling in illegal drugs and psychoactive substances can have catastrophic or fatal consequences – you might believe you’ll be fine, but how do you know? The only way to be certain is not to take any at all.
“That’s why we will be enforcing a zero tolerance policy towards any of these substances at Bestival 2016. We will also be working with retailers on site to ensure that they are observing the legislation around psychoactive substances that was introduced earlier this year.”
