Being stopped and searched

[MieleBee]

Last time I went to glasto was in 2003. As we were driving along the motorway we were pulled over into a service station by the police. We found that they had pulled over loads of festival goers and were searching them. I had nothing on me and they searched the car with dogs and we had to take everything out. The female officer searching me was quite rude and shouted at me when I asked what she wanted me to do. I had my hands in my pockets and she shouted "PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE CAR WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!" We were delayed for ages (about an hour) whilst they filled in paperwork and such. Overall it was not a very pleasant experience.

I was just wondering if they still do this in most recent years?

I ask because I was wondering if it's something I should expect and take in to account when travelling down. I understand they need to search people but I did not like the way they went about it. They were stopping everyone who looked like they were heading to a festival

[glasto_mongrel_2008]

Sounds like a nightmare. This is the first time i'll be driving to a festival, always done train before or got a lift. I'd hate to be delayed by the f**kers that's for sure. Flamin Mongrels! Although I'm driving down on the Saturday before this time so they'd have to be keen. I'll stock up on doughnuts and coffee though just in case.

[mr_bizarre]

Expect it to happen. If you take drugs to the festival you'd better be very inventative on where you put it. I always think of it as a massive game of British bull dog. Most of you will get through. Some won't.

There's something on a thread around here about making your drugs watertight with baggies and clingfilm and then putting your package into a bottle of sun cream, who know you might get lucky and not have to think of the other place you could stick it all.....

On the other hand the authorities are known to read these pages so I'm sure they already know this trick........

What I say is think of the risks, if you fancy your chances then be very crafty with where/how you store them on the way to your festival.

[dacbo]

seriously? they actually did that? are they even allowed to do that?

[Chocscoffer]

I have heard this happen but not to anyone I know. It's always been a friend of a friend. The only thing I can suggest is not putting your car parking pass on your windscreen until you are actually approaching the site. I know they say you should do it from about 10 miles away but haven't. In fact last year I only put it on that morning in Glastonbury town.

[sdaveak47]

Its common for security to have a little rumage in your back when you get there, they are mainly looking for glass bottles and dont delve too deep.

The police do toss a few cars, it seems at random, or possibly they are cars that get picked up by number plate recognition software

[MieleBee]

Expect it to happen. If you take drugs to the festival you'd better be very inventative on where you put it. I always think of it as a massive game of British bull dog. Most of you will get through. Some won't.

There's something on a thread around here about making your drugs watertight with baggies and clingfilm and then putting your package into a bottle of sun cream, who know you might get lucky and not have to think of the other place you could stick it all.....

On the other hand the authorities are known to read these pages so I'm sure they already know this trick........

What I say is think of the risks, if you fancy your chances then be very crafty with where/how you store them on the way to your festival.

[.jay.]

my friend is a dog handler in the rpison service and apparently sniffer dogs can only work for a short period of time before they become ineffective as they are trained that it is a game and after a while they lose interest.

so just hope that if you are pulled over the dog has been at it all day and can't be arsed and hasn't just arricved and is raring to go!

but if you've nothing to hide then whats the big deal, so you get a break from driving while some people search your car it's no big deal, just be civil and do whats asked of you it's all well and good berating the police and crying foul but they are just doing their job just let them get on with it.

[Limpet]

seriously? they actually did that? are they even allowed to do that?

[MieleBee]

seriously? they actually did that? are they even allowed to do that?

[.jay.]

Yeah, are they really allowed to do that? I thought the police had to have a reason for pulling over a car. I've got to admit in all the years I've been, I've never heard of something like this happening. Sounds terrible. I think you were just unlucky mate.

Edited January 29, 2009 by .jay.

[alanc]

I guess so. They had to give me paperwork with reasons why they stopped me.They wrote something along the lines if "suspicion of car containing illegal drugs". I assume they base this assumption that I was going to a music festival. I felt like they were pissed off when they didn't find anything on me.

[MieleBee]

my friend is a dog handler in the rpison service and apparently sniffer dogs can only work for a short period of time before they become ineffective as they are trained that it is a game and after a while they lose interest.

so just hope that if you are pulled over the dog has been at it all day and can't be arsed and hasn't just arricved and is raring to go!

but if you've nothing to hide then whats the big deal, so you get a break from driving while some people search your car it's no big deal, just be civil and do whats asked of you it's all well and good berating the police and crying foul but they are just doing their job just let them get on with it.

[eFestivals]

it's very normally the case that this is Gloucester police on the M5 .... am I right?

Some old bill will do anything to get their "crimes solved" rates up - drug offences are, by nature, something with a 100% clear-up rate.

[.jay.]

yeah I understand this I don't mind if it's done in the proper manner. it's just the way they went about it. I was quite a young girl at the time and was scared and was getting shouted at. I was meeting friends at the festival and this was before I had a mobile phone and spent hours wondering the site trying to find them after getting to the site because I didn't turn up on time to meet her

[.jay.]

it's very normally the case that this is Gloucester police on the M5 .... am I right?

Some old bill will do anything to get their "crimes solved" rates up - drug offences are, by nature, something with a 100% clear-up rate.

Edited January 29, 2009 by .jay.

[scaryclaireyfairy]

i didn't think they could search either your car or your person without having reasonable cause to suspect you of a crime...? going to a festival is not a reason to suspect someone of criminal activity. admittedly if they want to, they're going to search anyway but they'd have to show me a whole ream of paperwork first!

[chilli78]

Yep, they can stop and search anyone these want to. Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 s6(1).

A lot of the paperwork they fill out is for your protection so that the police are accountable for their actions. If they just randomly stopped people and didn't record it we would all be pretty screwed.

Oh, if anyone wants to see the code of practice its here http://www.icva.org.uk/site/downloads/PACE...E_Chapter_A.pdf

Guess everyone just has to grin and bear it.

Edited January 29, 2009 by chilli78

[MieleBee]

it's very normally the case that this is Gloucester police on the M5 .... am I right?

[eFestivals]

Yes! that will be them.

so the answer is to stay off the M5 in Gloucestershire.

[mr_bizarre]

I don't actually take drugs (if that was directed to me). I was asking if they still do it because I don't like the way they went about searching me and don't really want to go through it again.

[eFestivals]

Oh right I see, I guess i didn't read your post properly, sorry bout that. And good on you anyway, drugs are bad for you....and over priced!

.... says the purveyor of over-priced piss-water.

[.jay.]

I'm sure I heard of a sniffer dog who was active for 9 years.

Edited January 29, 2009 by .jay.

[mr_bizarre]

.... says the purveyor of over-priced piss-water.

[.jay.]

Oh right, no I wasn't, I thought you meant working life