Crime at the Isle of Wight festival may have decreased to some extent, but drug seizures are a big concern for Bestival.
Music festivals are no strangers to criminal activity. An event that draws a crowd as massive as a music festival is bound to come with those who intend to take advantage of it. And yet, when we review the actual numbers of crime at festivals like the well-known English festival, Bestival, it’s still astonishing.
Sources tell us that a total of 182 crimes have been reported at Bestival this year. And if this doesn’t shock you enough, these stats are a major drop from last year’s, when 248 crimes were reported. While a drop in the crime rate is considered a positive manifestation, the crime at Bestival has dropped by 26% and yet, 182 arrests were reported, which is a substantial amount.
Apart from that, drugs worth £33,000 were also seized by police, an increase of 64% on the previous year and private security guards working with the Hampshire Constabulary reported drugs worth £37,000 being dropped in the amnesty bins.
Crime at music festivals is prevalent and not many people seem to want to address it. An environment that aims to be an exceptional getaway, a musical sanctuary, is being successfully tarnished. And then we wonder why music festivals have a ‘reputation’ of being gigantic drug harboring hubs. Responsibility of such decisions lays on the individual who commits the crime, not on the establishment itself.
Do stay tuned to Festival Sherpa for more news.
Also read: How To Be Safe At A Music Festival