'Stop and think' - the stern message to those considering attending an illegal rave

Greater Manchester Police is urging anyone who is considering attending an illegal rave this weekend to stop and think.

Those attending an illegal rave face the prospect of arrest and prosecution.

According to GMP, 'raves are utterly unacceptable and we will do all we can to prevent them from happening'.

GMP officers are aware that there are possible further illegal raves being organised in the Greater Manchester area this weekend.

There will be a dedicated policing operation in place, with a much higher police presence in potential hot spot areas.

Ashton, Droylsden and Failsworth MP Angela Rayner is backing the police's stance in the wake of last weekend's rave at the Daisy Nook Country Park, and also Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's resolve after he admitted "things could have been done better" to combat the illegal gathering.

Mrs Rayner said: "I wholeheartedly welcome this strong and united message from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Greater Manchester Police.

"We need to make it very clear that this reckless and irresponsible behaviour will not be tolerated.

"We will work together to develop a clear multi-agency action plan to prevent events of this nature taking place in future and we will not let those who organised last weekend's events get away with it.

"We will find them and make sure they are brought to justice with the full force of the law.

"Events like this are illegal all year round but it is especially irresponsible to hold them when we are in the middle of a pandemic.

"The majority of people in Greater Manchester are doing their bit to help stop the spread of the virus so the selfish few who are flouting the rules must be brought to task."

GMP is liaising with neighbouring forces across the North West and working alongside key partners to broaden the intelligence picture in order to identify and determine where events may take place.

Officers are actively encouraging the public and businesses to provide information around any future events.

They want the public to understand that the way these events are coordinated often present a unique set of challenges for policing and mean that officers have to adapt and change their approach.

This means GMP are calling on the public to help them – if you have any intelligence or hear about an event taking place, please get in touch so officers can prevent it and ultimately save lives.

The key to stopping these events is early intelligence.

Ahead of the weekend, GMP are joining forces with the North West Ambulance Service, as well as uniting with local industry experts, including Greater Manchester’s Night-time economy adviser Sacha Lord, to reiterate the dangers of illegal raves and events.

Backing Mr Lord will also be events producer Jon Drape, who is instrumental in the planning of festivals all over the country.

The two experts will be sharing their own homemade videos in a bid to engage with young people across the region, reinforce the key safety messages and persuade people to make the right choices in the coming weeks. 

Alongside industry experts, the campaign is also being supported by Mayor of Greater Manchester Mr Burnham, as well as the parents of a boy who was seriously stabbed at an unlicensed event last weekend.

GMP is hoping that by uniting, officers can warn young people of the significant risks posed by such events and keep communities safe. 

Together, officers are sending a clear message – do not go to illegal raves and risk your lives.

Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey said: “Last weekend (June 13) we saw two large raves take place in Carrington and Oldham, with around 6,000 people in attendance.

"Clearly, this was in breach of the current Coronavirus regulations and puts everyone at risk, but also had tragic consequences for some attendees after one young woman was raped, three men stabbed and a teenager sadly lost his life after a suspected drug overdose.

“A top priority for us will always be the safety of our communities and we will continue to strike the balance of proportionality and wider public safety with our overall response to incidents such as these ones."

Baroness Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime said: “The vast majority of Greater Manchester residents have played their part to help fight coronavirus.

"But the reckless actions of the organisers of last weekend’s illegal raves and those who attended have cast a shadow over our communities, putting an unnecessary strain on our emergency services, putting our residents at risk, and sadly leading to tragedy for some attendees.

“We saw the real Greater Manchester in the aftermath, when residents came out to help the clean-up and I want to appeal to that strong community spirit today.

"Please help us to keep our communities safe and report any information to the police so they can take action.

"And if you are thinking of attending these illegal events, you are putting yourself and loved ones at risk so please think again.”

If you have any intelligence that you would like to pass on, please call our dedicated Operational Communications Branch on 101.

---

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.