Police and partners urge public not to buy tickets to illegal raves after man arrested

Officers investigating a planned illegal rave have arrested a man in connection with organising the event and are urging the public not to attend.

The arrest comes following intelligence that an illegal rave is being planned in North Warwickshire on Saturday, 25 July.

A 39-year-old man from Coventry was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance. He remains in police custody at this time.

The event, which has been publicly selling tickets on social media, is unauthorised and unlicensed, and breaks current Government legislation around gatherings.

Safer Neigbourhood Team Chief Inspector Karl Faulkner for Warwickshire Police said: “While on the face of it, this event may seem legitimate and even state it is working with the police to coordinate a safe event, it is illegal and we will not tolerate nor endorse illegal raves of any kind in our county.

“They pose a serious risk, not only to those attending them, as they are often poorly organised with little regard to the health and safety of attendees, but also pose a significant risk to public health in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is currently against the law for gatherings of more than 30 people to take place other than in exceptional circumstances, and we will be enforcing this legislation as part of our role in minimising the risk of spreading the virus. We will also take robust action against anyone found to be involved in organising these events.

“Other police forces have encountered serious incidents including stabbings and sexual offences at illegal raves, which demonstrates how un-safe these events are, as they often have limited security in place and are at locations particularly difficult for emergency services to reach.

“I would therefore urge anyone who has a ticket to this or any other illegal rave, or anyone considering purchasing a ticket to please think twice about going. I would also urge any parents or carers considering dropping off or collecting children and young people from an illegal rave to consider the risks involved.

“Please protect yourself, your family and your communities by not supporting or attending illegal raves, and if you have information about one happening in your area, we would ask that you report this to us as soon as you can so we can take the appropriate action to protect our communities from harm.”

Cllr Les Caborn, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care & Health at Warwickshire County Council said: “Following the relaxation of some rules, we know that lots of people are looking forward to seeing friends and socialising again but we would like to remind everyone that the virus hasn’t gone away, and we all still need to play our part.

“We need people to continue to work together and be vigilant in following advice to control the virus. It is advised that people still stay at home as much as possible but if you are going out, recommendations stand to maintain a social distance of 2m, wear face coverings and wash hands regularly.

“People with symptoms should not go outside and we would also like to remind those living with vulnerable people to take extra care not to put others at risk.

“Young people, who may contract the virus and have no or mild symptoms may still spread it to others so should be particularly vigilant.”

If you have information about a planned illegal rave, please report this to us online, by calling 101, or email ruralwatch@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers via their website.