Police have issued an update on the aftermath of an illegal rave held in South Bristol over the weekend. The event took place at a disused building just off Winterstoke Road between Saturday, October 26, and Sunday, October 27, and is estimated by police to have been attended by between 600 and 1,000 people.
Locals reported hearing loud music and a ‘thumping bass line’ in Bedminster, which could be heard as far away as Hengrove and Bristlington. The music was eventually turned off by around by around 10am on Sunday morning, with around 100-150 people still at the event. Avon and Somerset Police Inspector Gareth Pike said officers encountered hostility from attendees, including bottles being through at them.
Two people were arrested on suspicion of public nuisance offences following the ‘unlicenced music event’, after Avon and Somerset Police were called to reports of people in a disused building at around 11.15pm on Saturday, October 26. A police spokesperson confirmed they have both been released on bail.
Inspector Pike said: “Residents living close by are understandably angry by the disturbance this unlicensed music event has caused. We’re sorry for the impact it has had on them and we share their frustrations.
“A significant policing operation was stood up with specialist teams deployed, including utilising officers giving up their rest days. We also sought assistance from neighbouring forces through a mutual aid request, although they were not ultimately required after the music was turned off.”
“Public safety always must be our priority when responding to such incidents, especially given the potential danger and risk that occurs when you have a very large number of people in a confined space that is not designed to accommodate them.
“The individuals who chose to organise this event have acted in a wholly irresponsible manner and shown a total disregard to other members of the public. Officers have also faced unacceptable hostility with items, including bottles, being thrown at them, which is truly disgraceful.
“No police service has a limitless supply of resources. Every officer who has been deployed to Winterstoke Road today is an officer who could have been helping a victim of crime but couldn’t do so because of the selfish actions of those who organised and attended this event.
“Nevertheless, through hard work across the organisation, we have sought to provide victims with the level of service they should expect and deserve from the police, even though we were having to deal with this incident at the same time.
“We have been gathering evidence during our response to this incident to help us identify those who have committed offences and we will look to take appropriate action against those involved.
“We will also speak with the building owner to provide extra security advice to help prevent further such incidents from occurring in the future so as to protect local residents.”