Police are urging festival-goers to plan their trip ahead of time and stay safe ahead of this weekend’s Splendour in the Grass festival, NSW Police say.
A high-visibility police operation will be in place for the three-day festival, involving police from Tweed/Byron Local Area Command, assisted by general duties officers from across the Northern Region. They will be targeting illegal drug use and supply, as well as alcohol-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour.
The Dog Unit, including drug-detection dogs, will also be involved as well as the Public Order and Riot Squad, the Mounted Unit, Operations Support Group, and Traffic and Highway Patrol Command.
Camping ticketholders will start arriving in the Byron Shire for the music festival from today, with the festival officially kicking off on Friday (21 July 2017) and concluding on Sunday (23 July 2017).
In addition, there will be pre-festival entertainment on Thursday night for campers and three-day ticketholders.
Tweed/Byron Local Area Commander, Detective Superintendent Wayne Starling, said police have been working closely with event organisers and other stakeholders to ensure the safety of all event staff, performers and music fans throughout the festival.
"Splendour in the Grass has become one of the most popular annual music festival events in the country," Det Supt Starling said.
"We want everyone to have a great time but we won’t tolerate behaviour that risks the safety of others.
"Large numbers of both uniformed and plain-clothes police with drug-detection dogs will be patrolling the entire event footprint – they are on site to ensure the event is safe for everyone.
"Our officers will be targeting anyone involved with illegal drug use and supply, underage drinking, alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour.
"Festival-goers who choose to do the wrong thing, breach the event’s terms and conditions or risk the safety of other music fans, will be quickly identified and dealt with accordingly.
"Those who try to bring illegal drugs into the festival can expect to be caught and dealt with swiftly by police, and anyone who attends the festival affected by drugs or alcohol may be refused entry.
"Recreational drugs are illegal, dangerous and potentially life-threatening, especially when combined with alcohol so I urge everyone to behave responsibly," Det Supt Starling said.
Important event information, including items banned from the festival and campgrounds can be found at: http://splendourinthegrass.com.
Medical staff will also be available at the festival, and police encourage anyone affected by drugs, excessive alcohol consumption or anyone feeling unwell to seek immediate medical assistance.
"We are not the fun police but we want Splendour to be an incident-free event. Be warned that if you choose to break the law, disrupt other festival-goers or create issues for the local community – you can expect to be arrested," Det Supt Starling said.
Officers from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command will also be deployed to target speeding, drink-and-drug-driving and other dangerous driver behaviour.
"As with previous years, we are prepared for a considerable increase in traffic throughout the Byron Shire in the lead up to and during the festival – particularly on the Pacific Highway," Det Supt Starling said.
"Plan your trip ahead of time and if you’re on the road for an extended period of time make sure you take regular rest breaks to avoid fatigue."
"Officers will be conducting regular roadside drug and alcohol testing both during and following the festival – and anyone caught driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be arrested.
"We are also reminding motorists to stick to the speed limit and ensure everyone in your vehicle is wearing their seat belt," Det Supt Starling said.
For the latest traffic information, visit www.livetraffic.com or contact the Traffic Information Line on 132 701.
