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Music festival in Sussex must stick to strict conditions

Bosses of a music festival which attracts thousands of people to Sussex have been ordered to stick to nearly 100 strict conditions.

Organisers of the Beachdown Festival have been told to improve security and ensure that live music stops at 11pm after police raised a series of concerns.

Up to 10,000 revellers will be banned from taking alcohol into the site while bar staff will ask for ID from anyone they believe to be under 25.

The 95 conditions were imposed on Beachdown, which is held over the August bank holiday at Devil's Dyke, after licencing meetings with Mid Sussex District Council.

Festival bosses said the conditions were not unusual and the event would go ahead as planned.

But Jean Irving, Sussex Police’s licensing and public safety manager, warned that officers would not hesitate to close the event following a number of incidents last year.

She said: “The police will not shrink from closing it down before it even gets started if public safety or any of these things are compromised."

Sussex police said the conditions are required after last year's festival because organisers had not finished constructing the arena by the time festival-goers started arriving, meaning environmental health officers could not inspect and sign the safety certificate.

Meanwhile about 4,000 people jumped over the fence to gain entry, meaning 50% more people were at the festival than was predicted.

As a result conditions imposed on organisers this year include more security at entry points, the site being reduced by a third, a £50,800 bill for policing, to be paid six weeks in advance and one in 20 people to be searched on entry.

Acts this year include Grace Jones, The Zutons and Super Furry Animals.

Organiser Joe Pidgeon was not phased by the development.

He told The Argus: "We are as concerned with health and safety as the police.

"The fencing at this year's festival will be a solid shield field rather than the wire fencing we had last year.

"It's true the site wasn't complete by the time people started arriving, but we were dealing with horrific weather conditions and this year we have given ourselves an extra week to set up.

"There will be a dedicated 10,000 gallon tanker of water for the fire brigade and we have also spent £10,000 on a private fire brigade as we did last year.

"There are lots of positive changes for Beachdown 2009 - the site of the performance field has been reduced but the camping area is bigger and although we have an 11pm cut off for live music we have two extra hours or non live music and bar licences which will go on until 4am."

For more information about the event, which is held between August 28 and 31 and to buy tickets, go to www.beachdownfestival.com

Comments(17)

bibble says...
10:12am Thu 12 Mar 09

Yet again the police involve themselves. And as usual the police, with their built-in criminal elements, are ready to jump on the first transgression and will "not hesitate" to shut down the festival.

Then searching 1 in 20 people, without any suspicion. Just a round quota number, which is something the police understand all too well. Remember the news article of the police stopping and searching 50 people at Brighton Railway Station? 1 person had drugs. A 98% failure rate. And that was based on suspicion.

A message to Jean Irving of Sussex Police: clean out your own stables first. Don't hesitate to stop and search 1 in 20 of your officers. Without suspicion, just as a quota.

Pontop Pike says...
12:46pm Thu 12 Mar 09

Grace Jones - oh my gawd

i remember that advert for the "new" Citroen CX GTi Turbo,the car came out of her mouth.

Can I offer my services to re-create the advert but this time drive it up her `arris?

pun master says...
1:53pm Thu 12 Mar 09

bibble wrote:
Yet again the police involve themselves. And as usual the police, with their built-in criminal elements, are ready to jump on the first transgression and will "not hesitate" to shut down the festival. Then searching 1 in 20 people, without any suspicion. Just a round quota number, which is something the police understand all too well. Remember the news article of the police stopping and searching 50 people at Brighton Railway Station? 1 person had drugs. A 98% failure rate. And that was based on suspicion. A message to Jean Irving of Sussex Police: clean out your own stables first. Don't hesitate to stop and search 1 in 20 of your officers. Without suspicion, just as a quota.
STFU!

The police are simply ensuring public safety.

Nobhead

kumquat says...
2:05pm Thu 12 Mar 09

I'm glad the Police involved. They're a bit past it these days, but I like their stuff and they're better than Grace Jones

censored says...
2:39pm Thu 12 Mar 09

The police overseeing thousands of people looking dirty, unshaven and carrying rucksacks?


It's a recipe for trouble!

Pontop Pike says...
3:04pm Thu 12 Mar 09

bibble wrote:
Yet again the police involve themselves. And as usual the police, with their built-in criminal elements, are ready to jump on the first transgression and will "not hesitate" to shut down the festival. Then searching 1 in 20 people, without any suspicion. Just a round quota number, which is something the police understand all too well. Remember the news article of the police stopping and searching 50 people at Brighton Railway Station? 1 person had drugs. A 98% failure rate. And that was based on suspicion. A message to Jean Irving of Sussex Police: clean out your own stables first. Don't hesitate to stop and search 1 in 20 of your officers. Without suspicion, just as a quota.
Complete pr1ck!

Though having Grace Jones on the bill, i cant see that much argee bargee from the dungaree, hearing aid, tuppence licking mob.

bibble says...
3:31pm Thu 12 Mar 09

pun master wrote:
bibble wrote:
Yet again the police involve themselves. And as usual the police, with their built-in criminal elements, are ready to jump on the first transgression and will "not hesitate" to shut down the festival. Then searching 1 in 20 people, without any suspicion. Just a round quota number, which is something the police understand all too well. Remember the news article of the police stopping and searching 50 people at Brighton Railway Station? 1 person had drugs. A 98% failure rate. And that was based on suspicion. A message to Jean Irving of Sussex Police: clean out your own stables first. Don't hesitate to stop and search 1 in 20 of your officers. Without suspicion, just as a quota.
STFU!

The police are simply ensuring public safety.

Nobhead
Well, if you use your brains for two seconds you will realise that the police are not "ensuring public safety".

In TARGETED stop and searches, they achieved a 98% failure rate! So stopping 1 in 20, purely as a quota, will achieve nothing.

Yes, the police need to pull their socks up. It is people like you who let them get away with their atrocious performance.

The police have a lot to answer for. They are rude, slovenly, useless, and in many cases criminal.

bibble says...
3:33pm Thu 12 Mar 09

Pontop Pike wrote:
bibble wrote:
Yet again the police involve themselves. And as usual the police, with their built-in criminal elements, are ready to jump on the first transgression and will "not hesitate" to shut down the festival. Then searching 1 in 20 people, without any suspicion. Just a round quota number, which is something the police understand all too well. Remember the news article of the police stopping and searching 50 people at Brighton Railway Station? 1 person had drugs. A 98% failure rate. And that was based on suspicion. A message to Jean Irving of Sussex Police: clean out your own stables first. Don't hesitate to stop and search 1 in 20 of your officers. Without suspicion, just as a quota.
Complete pr1ck!

Though having Grace Jones on the bill, i cant see that much argee bargee from the dungaree, hearing aid, tuppence licking mob.
Prove me wrong, instead of calling me names.

The police had a 98% failure rate during a recent targeted stop and search "operation".


pun master says...
4:47pm Thu 12 Mar 09

bibble wrote:
pun master wrote:
bibble wrote:
Yet again the police involve themselves. And as usual the police, with their built-in criminal elements, are ready to jump on the first transgression and will "not hesitate" to shut down the festival. Then searching 1 in 20 people, without any suspicion. Just a round quota number, which is something the police understand all too well. Remember the news article of the police stopping and searching 50 people at Brighton Railway Station? 1 person had drugs. A 98% failure rate. And that was based on suspicion. A message to Jean Irving of Sussex Police: clean out your own stables first. Don't hesitate to stop and search 1 in 20 of your officers. Without suspicion, just as a quota.
STFU!

The police are simply ensuring public safety.

Nobhead
Well, if you use your brains for two seconds you will realise that the police are not "ensuring public safety".

In TARGETED stop and searches, they achieved a 98% failure rate! So stopping 1 in 20, purely as a quota, will achieve nothing.

Yes, the police need to pull their socks up. It is people like you who let them get away with their atrocious performance.

The police have a lot to answer for. They are rude, slovenly, useless, and in many cases criminal.
And if you read the planning condition properly you will see it is not the police carrying out the stop and search at the entrance, it is the on site security. And whilst it is easy for people for you to talk about the police being useless, slovenly etc, it is also the police that would be the first to go searching for missing children, step in the way of danger to protect the public and also are the ones who have to help scrape dead bodies up off of the road, train lines etc. Yes there are bad police officers, but there are just as many bad builders, accountants, lifeguards, shop assistants etc etc. The truth is that the vast majority of law-abiding citizens have nothing but respect for police officers and the work they do. Consider the fact that they are working in some appalling conditions, like many public sector workers, being under-resourced, under pressure from a ridiculous target culture and having to deal with awful levels of serious crimes... And if you are so determined to change them, I suggest you sign up as a special constable and show them all how it's done.

Again, Nobhead...

Pontop Pike says...
5:11pm Thu 12 Mar 09

Oh dear Bibbl, dont let it worry you. Those of us in the "inner circle" get shot down from time to time.

Just let it wash over your head.

bibble says...
5:17pm Thu 12 Mar 09

pun master wrote:
bibble wrote:
pun master wrote:
bibble wrote:
Yet again the police involve themselves. And as usual the police, with their built-in criminal elements, are ready to jump on the first transgression and will "not hesitate" to shut down the festival. Then searching 1 in 20 people, without any suspicion. Just a round quota number, which is something the police understand all too well. Remember the news article of the police stopping and searching 50 people at Brighton Railway Station? 1 person had drugs. A 98% failure rate. And that was based on suspicion. A message to Jean Irving of Sussex Police: clean out your own stables first. Don't hesitate to stop and search 1 in 20 of your officers. Without suspicion, just as a quota.
STFU!

The police are simply ensuring public safety.

Nobhead
Well, if you use your brains for two seconds you will realise that the police are not "ensuring public safety".

In TARGETED stop and searches, they achieved a 98% failure rate! So stopping 1 in 20, purely as a quota, will achieve nothing.

Yes, the police need to pull their socks up. It is people like you who let them get away with their atrocious performance.

The police have a lot to answer for. They are rude, slovenly, useless, and in many cases criminal.
And if you read the planning condition properly you will see it is not the police carrying out the stop and search at the entrance, it is the on site security. And whilst it is easy for people for you to talk about the police being useless, slovenly etc, it is also the police that would be the first to go searching for missing children, step in the way of danger to protect the public and also are the ones who have to help scrape dead bodies up off of the road, train lines etc. Yes there are bad police officers, but there are just as many bad builders, accountants, lifeguards, shop assistants etc etc. The truth is that the vast majority of law-abiding citizens have nothing but respect for police officers and the work they do. Consider the fact that they are working in some appalling conditions, like many public sector workers, being under-resourced, under pressure from a ridiculous target culture and having to deal with awful levels of serious crimes... And if you are so determined to change them, I suggest you sign up as a special constable and show them all how it's done.

Again, Nobhead...
It is the police who demanded these conditions from the toothless and compliant licencing committee.

Actually, more and more law abiding people feel nothing but contempt for the police. I am a law abiding person and that is how I feel.

Those criminals who murdered Jean Charles de Menezes got away with it. We don't even know their names. They lied to protect each other. That is conspiracy to pervert the course of justice on top of everything else.

It is people like you who are apologists for the police, no matter how bad they are, that let them get away with it.

I would not sign up as a special constable. I read how bad they are with the 98% failure rate at targeted stop and search. 98%. In the "real world", such failure would be cause for instant dismissal. Not the police. No.

bibble says...
5:18pm Thu 12 Mar 09

Pontop Pike wrote:
Oh dear Bibbl, dont let it worry you. Those of us in the "inner circle" get shot down from time to time.

Just let it wash over your head.
You can't prove me wrong. Perhaps you are a polieman and want guilt to based on your suspicion alone?

The Jolly Roger says...
5:53pm Thu 12 Mar 09

bibble wrote:
Pontop Pike wrote: Oh dear Bibbl, dont let it worry you. Those of us in the "inner circle" get shot down from time to time. Just let it wash over your head.
You can't prove me wrong. Perhaps you are a polieman and want guilt to based on your suspicion alone?
Pontop and Slug are both sales reps for different companies, Albert Chisholm is a mechanic, I am a metalurgic engineer but i`m not sure about some of the others.

Hope that helps (and I hope they dont mind me saying)

Scoomer says...
11:43pm Thu 12 Mar 09

I'm an anti-social worker.

captbaz says...
1:38am Fri 13 Mar 09

I think you will find that the conditions attached to the licence are pretty much standard practice they send out a message to the people attending the events that if they are going to carry alcohol, drugs or offensive weapons they are likely to get caught. If these conditions were not in place and there was a fatality due to drugs, knives etc the 1st question would be where were the police?...

Acheron says...
7:26am Sat 14 Mar 09

I'm a supply teacher if that helps lol.

Bibble, I think you'll find that the police will involve themselves in any big gathering because it is the police's job to maintain law and order (I appreciate you don't feel they do it in the right way, but you have to agree that it is what their job is). Surely you're not suggesting that the police shouldn't be involved in safety at football matches etc.

I also note that you're being quite selective in your stats! I'm not going to argue that your 98% failure rate stat is wrong for the Brighton station searches, but how about some other searches stats, or don't they provide you with such a dramatic figure. Please don't treat us like idiots by abusing stats in that way. It does nothing for your arguements.

Osama bin there says...
3:29pm Sat 14 Mar 09

"Those criminals who murdered Jean Charles de Menezes got away with it. We don't even know their names."

What the hell has this got to do with policing a pop festival? Keep on topic, for goodness sake, or we might start thinking that all your posts are anti-police...
Oh sorry - they are.
You are like an old 78 rpm record that's stuck.

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