With the recent attrocity at Manchester Arena during the Ariana Grande gig, its no surprise that the security posture at Glastonbury has been raised. With some 175,000 people attending the music event at Worthy Farm in Pilton, which runs until Sunday June 25, festival goers were warned to bring only what they could carry as security checks would be increased. The usual carpark entertainment and facilities for people arriving early will not be present this year, those arriving prior to the gates opening "will be expected to remain in their cars".
The website statement added: "For security reasons, all ticket holders will be subject to extra searches of their vehicles, their bags and their person at this year's Festival." "This will make entrance slower than in previous years."
Glastonbury Festival official site crime reduction advice here.
The official Glastonbury Police site here. Assistant Chief Constable Caroline Peters, gold commander for the Glastonbury Festival police plan, released a statement:
“Public safety is always our top priority but we also want everyone going to the festival to have a great time.
“There is no intelligence to suggest a threat to Glastonbury Festival but we, along with the event organisers, will be taking extra security precautions this year.
“The policing style might look and feel slightly different this year – there will be a higher visibility of officers on the perimeter of festival helping security with searches.
“Our officers will also be wearing their new black uniforms, including their protective vests and body worn cameras – this is nothing different from officers on the beat across the region.
“We’ve always worked very closely with the event organisers and we have tried and tested plans in place for all eventualities.
“Like the rest of the UK, festival-goers should be alert but not alarmed.
“If you see anything suspicious, report it immediately. You can do this in the normal way – by calling 999 in an emergency or 101 if non-urgent. You can also report anything to officers or security staff on patrol on site. In addition to this, we will also have the facility for festival-goers to come to the police compound and report any issues they might have.
“We would like to reiterate the advice that Glastonbury Festival has already issued about packing light and putting luggage tags or some form of ID on all your bags.
“Be patient if there are queues – all ticket holders will be subject to extra searches of their vehicles, their bags and their person at this year’s festival.
“This might make entrance slower than in previous years but please be patient if you are in a queue and cooperate with any security requests and all searches.
“Don’t forget to come and say hello to our officers on-site – they will be happy to have a chat, offer advice, hand out crime prevention items and pose for a picture if you ask nicely!
“Make sure you are all following us on Twitter – @PoliceatGlasto for all the latest advice and photos from the festival.”
Video by Avon and Somerset Constabulary