Three men have been arrested on suspicion of planning an illegal rave in Staffordshire over the weekend.
Three men, aged between 21 and 28-years old, were arrested on suspicion of organising an illicit party in Staffordshire. Derbyshire Live reports that the younger man was released on conditional bail with a curfew imposed, and the 24-year old has since been released under the same terms. The third remains in custody.
The arrests took place as a number of other unlicensed music events were broken up across the UK this weekend. These include a rave in Bolton, near Manchester, and parties at Clapham Common and Tooting Bec Common in London.
The surge in illegal parties is closely tied to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown regulations. “People feel trapped at the moment,” a source named Matty told The Guardian. “No one is on holiday. No one is at festivals. Nothing is open for the youth.”
Despite most ravers attending peacefully, several of these illegal parties have escalated violently. On Thursday, objects were thrown at police as they tried to close down an illegal music event in Notting Hill, whilst Wednesday saw a Brixton street party erupt into chaos, with 22 officers injured.
Moreover, an event that took place on Friday night in Newham led to the arrest of seven people, including one for possession of a gun and another for holding a “Rambo-style” knife. The same day, five were arrested at an event in West Kilburn, including two for attacking police officers.
“The vast majority of people who attended engaged with officers and moved away from the locations without issue. However, again, a number refused to leave and became violent,” says Commander Bas Javid, of the Met’s frontline policing team. Police have urged individuals not to attend these parties, given their breach of Covid regulations.
📷 Sky News