A police operation is believed to have deterred raves in Montgomeryshire over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Operation Flamenco was undertaken by Dyfed Powys Police in the area to prevent illegal raves from taking place on farmland in the area and throughout the force area.
Sites on the area were monitored by police who had urged people living in the area to be on the look out for unusual behaviour in local areas.
As part of Operation Flamenco police urged members of the public to report suspicious activity immediately, so gatherings could be disrupted before they grew.
Illegal raves are extremely disruptive for communities and cause damage to farmland and the countryside. Dai Rees, land management team leader from Natural Resources Wales, said: "Our forests and countryside should be available for everyone to enjoy but illegal raves can damage the environment, impact on wildlife and leave it in a dangerous state for other people.
“These events cause misery for visitors and local communities, and we’re already taking measures to make it more difficult for people to organise them on our land. But spotting the signs early and reporting them is also really important and means that we can take action early to stop large gatherings forming.
“Working together with the Police and local communities has proved invaluable and we continue to encourage people to report anything suspicious to the Police on 101.”
In a Tweet, Temporary Deputy Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police, Claire Parmenter, thanked the police officers and staff who worked on the operation, said: “Thank you to all the Dyfed-Powys Police officers and staff that have worked over the Easter break, some excellent proactivity and several illegal raves prevented through partnership working and intelligence sharing, diolch.”
Efforts to crack down on the events are continuing in the coming months, working to tackle the issues that unlicensed events bring, such as:
· Safety concerns: people are under the influence of drink and drugs with no first aid or medical facilities at hand. It is difficult and sometime impossible to get ambulances to casualties.
· Drink and drug driving.
· Rubbish and human waste left at sites and the subsequent hygiene issues this brings.
· Risk of fires.
· Criminal damage and theft.
· Illegal drug dealing.
· Underage drinking.
Know the signs:
There are certain types of suspicious behaviour that are worth being aware of. If you see or experience any of these call police on 101.
· Unusual numbers of vehicles, especially camper vans, vans or trucks, seen in the locality.
· Illegal trespassers may recce sites in advance of any rave
· People may approach landowners and ask around for land, in the guise of hiring it for acceptable activities such as gymkhanas or scout camps.
· If you suspect anyone who approaches you for land hire might not be who they say they are, please do not hesitate to contact police.
· Social networks make it easier for organisers to spread the word – rave attendance numbers can grow hugely in short spaces of time, and locations can change quickly.
