Reading Festival 2010

Crime Reduction

Festivals are full of young, fun loving and like-minded people but beware they are also an easy patch for career criminals and opportunists who know how festival goers tick, and the Reading Festival is sadly no exception and so please read through the advice below and plan ahead for the event.
Festival Republic, the Reading Festival organisers, and Thames Valley Police (TVP) have teamed up together to provide information to both festival goers and parents alike that may help those who will be attending the Reading Festival this year.

There will be a slight change to the on site police station set up this year and should you need to contact Thames Valley Police to report a non emergency crime whilst attending the Reading Festival please call 0845 8 505 505.  This is the police number for reporting non-emergencies and for giving information to Thames Valley Police on this number.

If it is an emergency always call 999.  It is an emergency if a crime is being committed, there is a risk of injury or a risk of serious damage to property.

Emails to readingfestival@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk will go directly to the TVP team who will be policing the festival. Festival-goers and parents can use this email in advance of the show, as well as during, to receive further advice from police officers who will actually be attending the event. 

www.thamesvalley.police.uk/readingfestival

TVP will, as part of their on site presence have staff based at Piccadilly Circus, and they will be here during the event for anyone wishing to use it.

As with each year, we are all keen to ensure that the festival goers do what they can to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of crime and we have compiled the following festival savvy tips – some tips probably wouldn’t work anywhere else but at a festival!

1. VALUABLES
-Quite simply – please DON’T BRING THEM!  Don’t be flash.  Ipods, MP3 players etc - you don’t need them here – there is enough going on for you to be entertained without them.
If you have to bring them please use the left luggage facility or new lockers rather then store them in your tent.
-Campsite Assistance Teams (CATs) in the campsites have UV pens that you can use to write your postcode or name onto any valuables for easy identification.
-Split your cash and cards into two hoards so that if one lot goes – you have back up.
-Don’t carry anything valuable in your programme pouch or on a lanyard – unless it is kept hidden under a shirt or jumper.
-Don’t carry anything in back pockets – the event is busier than Oxford Street, especially at the stages, and chances are you have had a drink and so you will be less aware than usual and pick pockets love it.  Pockets with zips are better.
-Don’t leave anything valuable in your car – maybe go and check on your car twice during the show?  Shuttle boats are free for the green car park and the trip on the river is very nice.   Leave your glove compartment empty and also open.

2. CAMPSITES
-If you have any concerns about your safety in the campsites camp somewhere well lit, go near a fire tower or by your zone managers caravan.
Introduce yourself to campsite staff, show them where your tent is, stick a funny flag on it so it’s easy for them to see, and ask them to keep an eye out.  They will.
-Introduce yourself to your neighbours and set up a neighbourhood watch system, it may sound naff but experience shows that the best and friendliest campsites are the ones with people in that make the effort to do so.  More friends to party with too.
-Report anything or anyone suspicious to campsite staff – you can do this anonymously if you wish and that is what the staff are there for.
-Don’t put a padlock on your tent as this will invite thieves.
-Don’t bury your valuables by your tent as someone is bound to be watching.

3. PERSONAL SAFETY
-Make sure your mobile is charged up on a daily basis - in the early afternoon - so that it is ok for the night when it’s dark, the stages get busy and you are more likely to lose each other.  the lockers on site will have inbuilt phone chargers and so please book one if you need them.  Ask at the information tent (on road G4) for exact locations of these lockers. 
-Plan ahead.  Festival time is slow and it can take a long time to get from A to B.
-Keep your phone well hidden – how annoying would it be to lose all your contacts?
-Stay in groups and be tolerant of friends slowing you down.
-At night stay on the main roads in the campsites – don’t go exploring darker, quieter areas –you can do that in the day
-Arrange an easy meeting point with your mates before you get to the event and also three times a day (eg.  2pm, 6pm and 1am) that you will be there if you get split up.  No one likes to be left to have fun on their own for long.
-If you do become a victim of crime – DO NO RESIST – give them what they want and make sure you get a good look at them or their clothes, so that when you report them we have a good head start.  Also, make a note of exactly where you are if you can – look out for loos, fire towers, unusual tents, what colour the bunting is and what the road name is etc
-The welfare tent is there for you on road G4, as is the onsite police presence in the information tent at Piccadilly Circus.  These facilities are there to help you if you need it.

If you have an incident with a security guard, steward or any other member of our staff that you want to tell us about – please make a note of their tabard number, or the name on their pass.  Without this information we can do very little as identifying them without this number or name is very difficult.

Please don’t be alarmed by our advice – just be warned that it does happen to some people and we don’t want it to be you.  Plan ahead.

Oh, and have the most memorable festival of your life for all the right reasons!

Further Crime Reduction advice can be found at the Thames Valley Police website at http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/reduction/index.htm

Crime Prevention

"Car keys, cash, credit cards, mobile phones, wallets, purses and other valuable items should be kept with you at all times, or placed in the on site lockers or left luggage tent. Do not leave them in unattended vehicles or tents.
Large Gatherings of people such as this can provide easy pickings for thieves. If you present them with easy opportunities they will take them. If you are reporting the theft of a mobile phone you will be required to first contact your network provider and have the handset blocked. This will ensure that its use will be blocked across all UK networks even if the SIM card is changed, and will render it useless to the thief. A list of contact numbers for UK network providers is available at the Information and Welfare Tent."

Thames Valley Police have an onsite police presence based in the information tent at Piccadilly Circus should you need to report a crime. There will be a slight change to the on site police station set up this year and should you need to contact Thames Valley Police to report a non emergency crime whilst attending the Reading Festival please call 0845 8 505 505.  This is the police number for reporting non-emergencies and for giving information to Thames Valley Police on this number.

If it is an emergency always call 999.  It is an emergency if a crime is being committed, there is a risk of injury or a risk of serious damage to property.

Please use the lockers on G4 and left luggage point near Reaper Bridge to store your belongings.

Drugs

Do not brings drugs to the Reading Festival.  Our gate staff will be searching for many disallowed and illegal items, including drugs, and anyone found in possession of drugs will face rejection from the event at the gates and may be handed over to Thames Valley Police.

The dealing in or use of illegal drugs is not condoned by Festival Republic. It is illegal to take, to buy or to sell drugs. Drug enforcement laws are as applicable on site as anywhere else in the country. If you deal in drugs, it is likely that you will be arrested via security and handed over to Thames Valley Police.

There are covert police and security onsite who will take action as appropriate.

Neither anti-social nor illegal behaviour will be tolerated and participants will leave themselves liable for eviction from the site. Experimenting with drugs can lead to adverse reactions.

Drugs can kill. The crowds and the sheer size of the festival can be very frightening and disorientating and taking drugs could spoil your enjoyment of the event. If you do take drugs and you become ill, depressed or frightened please ask a steward to direct you to one of the many facilities on site which can help and support you, like our welfare tent on road G4.

Herbal highs will not be sold on-site - we strongly recommend you do not buy or bring them in to the festival.

You may be body searched at the site and then arena entrance. Persons suspected of carrying items which may be used in an offensive or dangerous manner, or carrying out illegal activities within the arena or other parts of the site may be searched, evicted and/or arrested.

Fire Information

No fires are allowed in the main arena at all and we are likely to be prosecuted for any seen and so please help the event by just having your campfires in the campsites where they belong.

Bonfires are not permitted anywhere. Anyone seen creating a bonfire or a fire in the arena will be subject to being evicted from the site on the spot.

Campfires i.e. a small fire that is below knee-height, less than one-pace wide and made of clean fuel, will be allowed in the campsite, provided they are looked after responsibly and should not be in a position that is a danger to any structure or person and not blocking any roads. They will be monitored and will be put out if they exceed these limits.

We have a firewood trader onsite so that you can buy clean wood for your small campfires.

Burning tents, metal poles, wellies, sleeping bags etc is not only dangerous, but produces toxic fumes. Please do not burn them when we can put them to good use in the future by donating them to Globalhand charity.

Small clean, campfires only are allowed in the campsites - below knee height and less than one pace wide. They will be monitored and extinguished if otherwise. A new policy this year means that all campfires will be extinguished after 8pm on Sunday.

•  There will be a firewood trader onsite to buy clean wood for your small campfires - clean firewood will be on sale until 6pm Sunday evening.
•  There are to be no bonfires permitted in the campsites this year. 
•  There are to be no campfires after 8pm on the Sunday night.
•  There are to be no fires at all in the arena this year.
•  Candles are plain dangerous; torches are far less of a fire risk in and around tents.
•  Watch out for flying embers and sparks, as they could start a fire, even from some distance.
•  Don't burn plastic, rubbish or any unwanted items.
•  Never use petrol or paraffin to start or revive a fire.
•  If you cook, always do it outside, ensure that there is constant supervision and keep well away from any flammable materials.
•  The zone manager in your campsite will be able to help you on any fire issues you may have.

Anti-social behaviour

Anyone that is evicted for anti social behaviour such as deliberately starting large bonfires, throwing missiles at other festival goers and/or staff or throwing dangerous items on fires will receive a life time ban to all festivals that Festival Republic and Live Nation promote including Glastonbury and Download. 

Their details will also be passed on to Thames Valley Police.

Please read our Ejection Policy HERE

On-site hospital

There is an on site hospital that is based by Lima Gate and just off Piccadilly Circus that is open to the public from 2pm Wednesday, 24 hours a day, until 12 noon on Bank Holiday Monday.  You can go here for any medical issues that you may have and if they cannot treat you here they may, if appropriate, arrange a transfer for you to the local hospital.

Please do use this on site hospital though, rather than go direct to the local hospital (Royal Berkshire), as on site they have a huge range of services and staff including - A&E doctors, ITU nurses, paramedics, psychiatry including specialists in drug misuse, dispensary with qualified pharmacists, physiotherapy, podiatry and emergency dentistry etc.

They are also equipped to provide resuscitation, minor casualty, general practice/first aid and assessment/observation facilities with transfer to definitive care as required.

There are two first aid points in the campsites – one in green campsite by Henry’s Gate and the other one in white campsite.

The arena has a roving patrol of paramedics and first aiders and you can also go to the main hospital from the arena by accessing it through their gate next to Lima Gate.

Ejection Policy

We have two ejection tents on site and a formal ejection policy for festival goers that are seen displaying, or inciting, inappropriate, offensive or illegal activity.  Those evicted will not be readmitted to the event and tickets will not be refunded.  If you are ejected you will not be permitted back to your tent to collect your belongings.  Instead, you will be offered a phone call to a friend on site who will have to pack your stuff down and take it home for you.

Unacceptable behaviour that can lead to eviction includes -
 
• Illegal activity
• Offensive behaviour
• Throwing hard objects in the direction of people
• Encouraging others to behave badly by incitement
• Preventing our security or emergency services reacting to a situation
• taking tents with the intent of burning them
• building large bonfires
• any fire in the campsites after 8pm on Sunday night 
 
Security staff will take the ejectee to one of the ejection tents, where they will give our independent staff based in the tent their report.  The evictee will then have their photo and personal details taken.  They will be given the opportunity to make a statement, before any decision on their eviction is made.  Our staff will then assess the situation and decide whether to issue a warning and let them back in, or whether to take their wristband and get security to eject them from the event, or pass them to the police if appropriate.  If they are ejected from our site they will then have to make their own way home, and they will not be permitted back into the event.

We will be recording any such behaviour for evidential purpose using CCTV cameras around site and other recording devices. 
 
Your coming to site will be deemed as your acceptance of this and the footage will be given to the police for court purposes.

What you can and can't bring

There will be NO RECEIPTS issued for any confiscated items. SO PLEASE DON’T BRING IT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO LOSE IT!

The following items may not be brought into the site through the campsite gates:

o Aerosols over 250ml  
o Airhorns
o o Alcohol in the possession of U18yr olds
o All gas canisters of any size (including nitrous oxide) 
Any goods for unauthorised trading
o o Any goods with unauthorised Reading/Leeds Festival logos
o Any items which may reasonably be considered for use as a weapon
o Audio recorders
o Chinese lanterns
o Excessive amounts of alcohol
o Excessive amounts of cigarettes
o Excessive amounts of food
o Fireworks
o Flares
o Generators
o Glass bottles, jars, containers
o Illegal substances
o Legal highs
o Megaphones
o Portable laser equipment and pens
o Unauthorised professional film or video equipment 
o Unofficial tabards and reflective jackets 
 
All items will be confiscated.

You may be body searched at the entrances. 

Persons suspected of carrying items that may be used in an offensive or dangerous manner, or carrying out illegal activities onsite may be searched.

Excessive amounts of food, cigarettes and alcohol will be refused entry to the site. Please only bring enough for personal consumption. 

No animals are allowed onsite at all, with the exception of registered guide dogs.

In addition to the items not allowed into the campsite, the following items will not be allowed into the arena through the arena entrance:

o Cans
o Disposable BBQs and permitted cooking stoves (see below)
o Drinks bottles *(other than sealed plastic water/soft drinks bottles under 500ml) 
o Flags

All items will be confiscated and not returned.

*Sealed plastic water bottles 500ml and under and food for personal consumption may be brought into the arena.

Cameras are normally permitted for personal use. Cameras with telephoto lenses will not be allowed through the arena entrance. Professional cameras and video/audio equipment are strictly prohibited. Live video/audio recordings made without the permission of the artiste/promoter are prohibited.

You will be allowed to bring the following into the campsites:

o Aerosols less than 250ml
o Alcohol (not contained in glass bottles) in the possession of over 18yrd olds
o Cans
o Disposable BBQs
o Firelighter stoves
o Fitted gas canisters/cylinders in campervans
o Flags
o Greenheat base camp cooker
o Methylated spirit stoves
o Solid fuel stoves

Fence Jumpers

Crowd Surfing

Gas Canisters

For various reasons, mainly your and our staff’s safety, we will not permit any gas canisters, cylinders or petrol cookers into the campsites, or anywhere on site.  We suggest that if you want to cook outisde your tent that you bring disposable bbq’s only.  They are also available at the nearby supermarkets.  Anyone seen with canisters or cylinders will be ejected from site.  Please help up with this, plan ahead and have a great camping experience.

The caravan and campervan ticket holders in white campervan field only will be permitted to bring in gas containers up to the limit of 3kg.

Aerosols

What you should do if you discover a fire.

You must get everyone out of the tent, evacuate the area as quickly as possible and get help from the nearest steward or security who will call the onsite Fire Team.

In the campsites you can go to the nearest Fire Tower (situated in the campsites and easily visible). In the unlikely event that you cannot find a member of security or steward nearby then please dial 999.

You may discover a fire in its very early stages and think that you can deal with it yourself. The first thing that you should remember is that fire spreads very quickly. Even a small contained fire can quickly spread, producing smoke and fumes which can kill in seconds.

If you are in any doubt do not tackle the fire, no matter how small. You can put yourself at risk by fighting the fire. If in doubt, get out, get the onsite Fire Team out, stay out.

Many people put out small fires quite safely. However, some people die or are injured by tackling fires which are beyond their capabilities. 
Here is a simple fire code to help you decide whether to put out or get out -

•  Only tackle a fire in its very early stages.
•  Always put your own and other peoples safety first.
• Make sure you can escape if you need to and never let a fire block your exit.
•  Fire extinguishers are only for fighting a fire in its very early stages. Never tackle a fire if it is starting to spread or has spread to other items nearby.
•  Around 70% of fire deaths are caused by people being overcome by smoke and fumes.

Check List

Check List of things to bring with you – or buy when you get there!

-Entry ticket (including Early Bird ticket, car park pass, campervan pass)
-Money and cash card – keep these in a hidden and safe wallet or euro style money belt bag.
-Sleeping Bag, pillow, blanket etc
-Tent
-Clothing for appropriate weather – check the long term weather forecast the day before you pack and to see if you need wellies, rain/sun hats, waterproofs etc
-Travel ticket home
-Camera (for personal use only. Telephoto lenses will not be allowed in the festival at all)
-Mobile phone and battery charger
-Sun cream
-Tin opener
-Tissues and loo roll
-Toiletries and towel
-Anti bacterial hand wash
-Torch
-Wet wipes
-Dry, clean socks
-Strong shoes
-Insect repellant
-Plasters
-Any medications that you need

Only bring what you can afford to lose. There is no way you can make a tent secure.

We would encourage you not to bring anything that would cause unnecessary rubbish. Clean up after yourself and have brilliant weekend.

Remember when packing that glass is not allowed onsite.

Looking after number one

Look after yourself.  Don’t overdo it, and most importantly, look out for others.

There is no meeting point at Reading and so pick a location and three different times a day in advance so that if anyone gets lost they know where to go and when to meet up again.

The site is a farm with livestock year round and so make sure you use the water points around the site to wash your hands regularly, especially before you eat.

Reading Festival takes place on uneven farmland with stone tracks and metal trakways. Take care, especially at night. Strong shoes for walking are a good idea – as is a torch after dark.

Please do not climb on any trees onsite. It is dangerous and may damage the tree.

Please don’t dig holes, drop cigarette buts or bottle tops as the site is normally home to horses and cattle.

Illegal drugs are no more legal onsite than off. Herbal highs will not be sold on-site - we strongly recommend you do not buy or bring them in to the festival.

Give any passing security or emergency vehicles plenty of space to pass and don’t ride on vehicles. 

Prolonged exposure to high volume noise can cause severe hearing damage. 

Serious sunstroke, sunburn or cancer can be caused by the sun on unprotected skin.

Bar staff will ask for proof of age whenever a customer appears to be under 18 – so if you think there is a chance you may be asked, best bring some photo ID. It is down to you to prove that you are over 18 and try our new Over 18’s wristband

Antisocial and illegal behaviour will not be tolerated: Eviction, and arrest without return will be the outcome.

Fireworks

Fireworks are not allowed onsite.

Following the Fireworks Act 2003, it is an offence to set off fireworks after 11pm at night.