Welsh police handed out lollipops to well-behaved illegal ravers

Who says illegal ravers are all criminals intent on causing a public nuisance?

Last weekend an illegal party of over 100 people rolled through the night and day in Grwyne Fawr in the Welsh countryside.

A neighbourhood policing team in Circkhowell heard reports of the rave at 8:30am on Sunday morning, July 2, and arrived at the site ordering the ravers to shut down the party.

But rather than ending in police clashes and violence and arrests like recent raves in Stamford Hill and the South Downs, a deal was struck that the illegal party would finish by 2pm.

When the afternoon deadline arrived, Dyfed-Powys Police returned to the location, loaded up with lollipops to keep the ravers sweet and ensure the party ended accordingly. The partygoers complied, cleaning up all the rubbish and leaving the area by early evening.

PC Cheryl Rudge said: “Illegal raves can cause considerable anxiety to the local community and can be extremely dangerous. On this occasion, the group was very compliant and we managed to have what felt like positive engagement with them around taking drugs and particularly the dangers if they need medical assistance in such a remote area.”

PCSO Billy Dunne added: “We want people to come to Dyfed-Powys to enjoy themselves this summer, but I would urge people to think twice before coming here to behave irresponsibly. I can assure local communities that police will take appropriate action to deter illegal gatherings."

Perhaps a lesson for police forces across the country could be learned here? Heavy-handed force need not always be the first port of call.

[Photo: Angel Ofek]

[Via: WalesOnline]

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer, follow him on Twitter