Parklife festival passes 'without major incident' with 70 arrests over weekend

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Police said Parklife festival passed 'without major incident' as a total of 70 arrests were made over the weekend. The majority of the arrests at the festival, which saw 70,000 music fans fill Heaton Park on each day last weekend, were for drugs offences.

A number of arrests were also made on suspicion of possession of a bladed article. In full, the following arrests were made: seven people on suspicion of possession of illegal drugs, 22 on suspicion of possession with intent to supply illegal drugs, two on suspicion of possession of a bladed article, one on suspicion of a public order offence, one on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, one on suspicion of a sexual offence and one on suspicion of drink driving. Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link. GMP said 'despite challenges', including extreme weather and disruption on the Metrolink, the festival 'passed off safely and without any major incident.' Superintendent Andy Sidebotham, the lead for the Parklife policing operation, said: "I’m delighted to report that the vast majority of attendees at Parklife Festival enjoyed the event responsibly and safely. "Most of the arrests made this weekend were the result of the proactive security operation led by Parklife and supported by GMP.

Thanks to meticulous work by officers and staff, illegal drugs and weapons were prevented from entering the festival where they could have done serious harm to the public. "This festival is important to Greater Manchester, and I am grateful to attendees for their enthusiasm and their patience through some of the challenges and for engaging positively with our officers.