Advice on reporting potential raves/unlicensed music events (UMEs)

Advice on reporting potential raves/unlicensed music events (UMEs)

Dear Resident

In recent months, there have been a small handful of raves/UMEs reported across the county and officers are now issuing advice on what to do if you think one of these events is being set up in your local area.

What is a rave ?

A rave is a gathering of more than 20 people, often at night time, where loud music is played over several hours. Raves (also called unlicensed music events or UMEs) can cause serious disruption and upset to people living or staying in the area.

How can I tell if a rave is being planned in my area?

What to look out for:

An unusual increase in road traffic

Social media activity advertising the rave and its location

Vehicles carrying sound equipment

Anything unusual or out of place - for example a ribbon or balloon tied in a hedge which could be used as a marker

Large gatherings of people in unusual areas late at night (e.g. farmland, open countryside or abandoned buildings)

What should I do?

If you are concerned that a rave is being planned for your local area you can call 101 to report it, or contact the charity Crimestoppers, 100% anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

If you are concerned that organisers are already setting up equipment for a rave, please call 999.

What do the police need to know?

It would be really useful if you could include some of the following information:

Location:

Wherever possible provide an Ordnance Survey grid reference (e.g. SX 123 456) or use the What3Words app (if you use W3W please ensure that you tell the call handler this so that they can transfer the location onto the police systems).

Do you know if the land is private (trespassing), or public?

Is it in a building or open air?

Are there people living nearby? Are neighbours being affected?

Access:

How have organisers/attendees got to the location? Have they caused damage to get there?

Are emergency services going to be able to use the same route?

Is the site accessible for vehicles?

Participants:

How many people are in attendance (approximately)?

How many vehicles are in attendance (approximately)?

What type of vehicles are in attendance (cars, vans, lorries, 4x4s etc.)

How long have people been arriving at the location?

What is the general demeanour? Is anyone clearly under the influence of drink or drugs?

Equipment:

Is there sound and lighting equipment present?

Are they using generators?

Can you hear the music? If so how loud is it at your location, and how far away is that from the incident location?

Risk:

Is it getting worse? Are more people arriving?

Is there livestock in the vicinity?

Are there open fires?

Are there dogs present at the incident location?

In Order to improve our community messages, Northamptonshire Police continues to review its working practices in order to deliver a quality service that you as a valued member of the public would expect to receive.

Could I ask if you could kindly spare a moment and rate this message at the bottom of the email choosing the Rate button, with thumbs up or down little box.

Kind Regards

Your Local Policing Team

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Message Sent By
Arthur Pereira
(Northamptonshire Police, Police Community Support Officer, EN5 Oundle)