Police warning as another illegal rave planned in Black Country
Party-goers have been warned they could be arrested and prosecuted if they attend an illegal rave in the Black Country over the weekend.
West Midlands Police has received information that an unlicensed music event may take place in the Black Country on Saturday evening.
Recent raves in Manchester have attracted thousands of people, breaching Covid-19 regulations, and ended in tragedy with one man dying from a suspected drug overdose and another being stabbed.
Police say they understand there is a possibility of an illegal rave happening near the West Midlands and Staffordshire Police border and have launched a dedicated operation to disperse anyone planning to attend.
Officers responded to similar intelligence last weekend, sending extra officers to key locations and putting specialist resources including drones and dogs on standby.
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They dispersed some people, including a suspected organiser, and no large-scale gatherings took place.
In total 13 people were arrested across the Black Country and Staffordshire.
Gatherings of more than six people from separate households remain illegal under the coronavirus lockdown laws.
West Midlands Police Superintendent Sean Kent, said: "Events like this are illegal. They are unacceptable at any time but even more so during a pandemic in which large gatherings are banned to help stop the spread of a killer virus.
"We are taking steps to deploy significant extra resources, including our drone and dogs units, to ensure public safety and minimise the risk of any anti-social behaviour, noise pollution and crime that can result from these type of unlicensed events.
"We are sending a strong warning to those thinking about attending such events − you could face enforcement action and receive a criminal record.
"Anyone who is found organising these kind of events also faces the prospect of us seizing equipment and prosecution.
"Finally, we are calling on the public to help us. If you have any intelligence or hear about an event taking place, please get in touch with us so we can prevent it and ultimately save lives. The key to stopping these events is early intelligence."
Supt Kent added: "There are no safety measures in place at these unauthorised events. If anything goes wrong and you, or your son or daughter, are attending, the emergency services might not be able to help you as quickly as normal.
"The illegal rave in Manchester not only ended in one man dead, but another stabbed and there was a report of a serious sexual offence against a woman. These are not safe events and parents should be actively deterring their children from attending.
"Everyone needs to act responsibly to keep our communities safe."
Anyone with information about a planned illegal gathering is asked to contact West Midlands Police on 101.
