As thousands of festival goers leave Worthy Farm behind, Avon and Somerset Police are reflecting on a successful Glastonbury.

Overall crime rates at the festival have fallen significantly in comparison to 2008 when mobile phone crime and thefts from tents rose dramatically.

In total 445 crimes (including drug offences) have been recorded by police at this time compared to 483 at the same time the previous year.

174 of those incidents were drug related in comparison to 166 last year. Theft from tents is this year down by nearly 30 per cent from 244 to 179 reported instances at the same time in 2008.

Specific Challenges for the force this year included reducing the number of thefts from tents and reducing mobile phone crime as well as for the first time working in conjunction with Glastonbury Festival Security to patrol campsites.

Chief Superintendent Kay Wozniak said:

The figures for Glastonbury 2009 highlight that the policing operation has been a tremendous success.

A great deal of planning goes into the Festival to make sure that it is a safe place to be for all festival goers. We always work closely with our partner agents to improve the operation year on year.

Last year’s figures demonstrated that thefts from tents and mobile phone crime were the two issues that affected festival goers the most. This year the figure has been reduced significantly in both instances. Giving out crime prevention advice and using initiatives, such as the Immobilise scheme, has played a significant part in bringing these numbers down.

Not only has the police operation been a success, all our officers have been well received on site. Hundreds of festival goers have commented on how professional and friendly our

2010 even safer.

To read the source article in full please goto: Avon & Somerset Police