Troublemakers won’t be tolerated at Wimborne Folk Festival

Police will again be using additional powers to prevent anti-social behaviour as well as alcohol-related crime and disorder at this weekend’s Wimborne Folk Festival (12-14 June).

Some 30,000 people are expected to attend the festival of music and dance which starts on Friday.

Officers will be using Section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 to prevent or stop alcohol-related crime and disorder by ordering a person to leave a designated area and not return for up to 48 hours.

With the support of East Dorset District Council, police officers will also be using Section 30 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 to prevent or stop: intimidating, harassing, alarming or distressing anti-social behaviour.

Anyone failing to comply with an order to disperse from a police officer or police community support officer under the two Acts will be liable for arrest.

Sergeant Alan Setchell, of the Wimborne Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “The Section 27 and Section 30 powers enable officers to deal proportionately, robustly, promptly – and even more effectively – with anti-social and alcohol-related crime and disorder offences before they escalate into even more serious offences.

“The Wimborne Folk Festival is a highlight of the East Dorset calendar and Dorset Police – together with East Dorset District Council, the organisers and the public – want to keep it that way. I hope that everyone will enjoy the popular event by being safe, having fun and behaving.”

The duration of the folk festival will see the bus stops and the taxi rank being temporarily moved from the Square.

A number of road closures will also be in force during the festival – principally part of the Square, the High Street and East Street, as well as roads adjoining those areas.

‘No waiting’ cones will be placed at various locations around the town centre to ensure the maintenance of traffic flow and the public is asked to respect the cones and not move them.