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Fake Security Stealing Drugs


lomac
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So I don't know if this happened to anyone other groups over the weekend but the story is as followed.

On Thursday night we were sat around as a group near the Glade just parallel with and below the side of the railway tracks. It must have been between 12-2AM (I can't remember the exact time). Now this didn't happen directly to me but to my mates girlfriend (lets call her Sarah) and I was sat across from her so I didn't really clock on to what was happening until about halfway through the exchange.

We were all just sat chatting having a good time, I was drinking but Sarah and a few of her friends were passing around a bag of coke when these two guys who said they were 'security' rocked up and said 'we've seen you taking drugs' and wanted to confiscate them. Although I didn't fully hear or comprehend exactly what was going on at the time as I was across from and I was quite drunk apparently Sarah got a bit argumentative and they  showed her a handful of baggies they'd pulled from others as some kind of means of proof. Meanwhile she had slid the baggie under her thigh to try hide it from view. Eventually they were having none of it and asked her to stand up and lo and behold discovered and confiscated the baggie. Now this was the point that me and my mate on the other side of the circle had started to clock onto the situation and thought there was something kind of weird about it but the security guys disapeared.

Sarah was quite upset at the whole situation was quite stressful for her but me and my friend were getting steadily more and more convinced that it was all bullshit for a number of factors

  • Attire, they were wearing florescent green/yellow hoodies with security and a bunch of numbers printed on them, which we had not seen any security around the festival wearing
  • No lanyard/ID
  • From my experience security don't flash their 'haul' at punters to validate their authority
  • I've never seen security going around confiscating drugs at the festival before, unless you're obviously dealing and then it's usually the police.
  • Gut feeling

Well, it wasn't over anyway because apparently the guys were back in the area obviously looking for their next target and we decided to confront them and ask for ID. He flashes me this badge which from what I can tell (it was dark, and I was slightly drunk) had no mention of Glastonbury on it and he was very obviously concealing the top left corner with his thumb. He would also not hold it and it wasn't on a lanyard like I saw all other festival staff wearing. I decided to question him on it and call him fake, so he and his mate say he's going to radio for the police. This spooked people a little bit but I decided to stand my ground and the guys just scarpered. never saw anyone else with remotely the same uniform for the rest of the festival.

 

Has this happened to anyone else this year? Some guys came up to us after quite angry and sympathetic saying they'd experienced/seen similar. Something to be wise to I think, I find it quite scummy tbh and doubly so as from what I could gather from others they seem to mainly target women as they think they are more likely to be intimidated and not wanting to be as argumentative. It's also the second time in two consecutive years that someone I've been with has been robbed, it's quite disappointing to be honest.

Edited by lomac
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3 minutes ago, lomac said:

So I don't know if this happened to anyone other groups over the weekend but the story is as followed.

On Thursday night we were sat around as a group near the Glade just parallel with and below the side of the railway tracks. It must have been between 12-2AM (I can't remember the exact time). Now this didn't happen directly to me but to my mates girlfriend (lets call her Sarah) and I was sat across from her so I didn't really clock on to what was happening until about halfway through the exchange.

We were all just sat chatting having a good time, I was drinking but Sarah and a few of her friends were passing around a bag of coke when these two guys who said they were 'security' rocked up and said we've seen you taking drugs and we are going to confiscate them to her. Although I didn't fully hear or comprehend exactly what was going on at the time (was across from and I was quite drunk) apparently Sarah got a bit argumentative and they  showed her a handful of baggies they'd pulled from as some kind of means of proof. Meanwhile she had slid the baggie under her thigh to try hide it from view. Eventually they were having none of it and asked her to stand up and lo and behold discovered and confiscated the baggie. Now this was the point that me and my mate on the other side of the circle had started to clock onto the situation and thought there was something kind of weird about it but the security guys dissapeared.

Sarah was quite upset at the whole situation was quite stressful for her but me and my friend were getting steadily more and more convinced that it was all bullshit for a number of factors

  • Attire, they were wearing florescent green/yellow hoodies with security and a bunch of numbers printed on them, which we had not seen any security around the festival wearing
  • No lanyard/ID
  • From my experience security don't flash their 'haul' at punters to validate their authority
  • I've never seen security going around confiscating drugs at the festival before, unless you're obviously dealing and then it's usually the police.
  • Gut feeling

Well, it wasn't over anyway because apparently the guys were back in the area obviously looking for their next target and we decided to confront them and ask for ID. He flashes me this badge which from what I can tell (it was dark, and I was slightly drunk) had no mention of Glastonbury on it and he was very obviously concealing the top left corner with his thumb. He would also not hold it and it wasn't on a lanyard like I saw all other festival staff wearing. I decided to question him on it and call him fake, so he and his mate say he's going to radio for the police. This spooked people a little bit but I decided to stand my ground and the guys just scarpered. never saw anyone else with remotely the same uniform for the rest of the festival.

 

Has this happened to anyone else this year? Some guys came up to us after quite angry and sympathetic saying they'd experienced/seen similar.

Security at the festival all had to wear yellow and orange jackets this year, to make them easily distinguishable from the none accredited 'stewards.' Also they must always display their SIA accreditation / badge. 

Sorry but Sarah has been had 😕 

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I saw two guys in red hi-vis with "Security" written on the back, as they were giving two young women a very roaming heavy-handed "search" on a dark pathway in the Paines campsite, near Arcadia - this was late Friday night.

A few other guys started to approach them, and the "Security" guys quickly stopped and walked further into the campsite.

I think this happens every year, at every festival - doesn't make it right.

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4 minutes ago, Vidsidasta said:

I think this happens every year, at every festival - doesn't make it right.

Yeah definitely I also feel it's something to bring up every year as a PSA to others, especially women who are far more easily threatened by people claiming to be security. It can get dangerous!

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Read in another thread of the strange sight of two Security Guards giving another "security" guard quite a battering and restraining him against the fence at the PG-C exit one eve so maybe one of these characters did get caught out.

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This happens every year at every festival. If this ever happens to you - 

Request their license if it's not easily visible and there accreditation number and jot it in your phone. They have to carry licenses and produce them on request even if doing undercover work and they should be on display at all times. I don't know at Glasto but security at festivals do work covert like say a shop detective - but it seems highly unlikely in this scenario. 

 

Most fakes will leave you alone immediately. Report it to the nearest genuine security guard - they're going to be more pissed off than anybody whose had their drugs stolen - fake security going rough-handedly nicking drugs off people completely undermines the real security's authority/trust which is the most important thing to do the job - very little security work is physically manhandling people/causing fights for the sake of it. How inclined is someone who's had a bag of weed stolen by security on Thursday night going to be to listen to a security guard on Saturday evening when one of the stages is overflowing and their asking them to go and find another act to watch rather than just push through and potentially hurt someone?

 

14 minutes ago, Nudenut said:

Read in another thread of the strange sight of two Security Guards giving another "security" guard quite a battering and restraining him against the fence at the PG-C exit one eve so maybe one of these characters did get caught out.

Or one of these fake security was working another one of these fake security's areas - think postcode gangs but with campsites. Glastonbury's a microcosm of outside society and all the bad things of inner city London/Manchester etc are going to turn up there. 

And re the robbing from tents comment above - yup it happens. Robbing from tents, 'stealing drugs'. using their fake security status to push through crowds so they can watch what they want, and all sorts of other more scummy things that pose a serious danger to festival goers.

Edited by willgooneday
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No related really but we got talking to a girl working security in 2017, she had a mad chewing her face off bipolar vibe, probably not the best person to be working security.  I asked her what happens when they find drugs.  Without skipping a beat, she said "we take half and give the rest back".  Seems like an easy way to check if you're dealing with proper security or not😜

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Happened to me in 2016 by the Glade. My mate near enough broke one of their noses off their face after his girlfriend was searched (she was out of it). One of my most satisfying Glastonbury moments of all time, I won't lie. They fucked off immediately afterwards.

Edited by ProperTea
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Not exactly related but I saw a genuine security guard on the warpath in Wow on Sunday afternoon.  He confiscated a guy's bag of coke/K and and balloon cannister. He was an angry stocky bald guy and I suspect he was a rogue element in an otherwise laissez-faire security force. However I DID notice a lot more security out and about on Sunday night. 

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7 hours ago, lomac said:

 

 

  • I've never seen security going around confiscating drugs at the festival before, unless you're obviously dealing and then it's usually the police.

I have. In silver hayes (especially wow) every year. Entering the crowd and confiscating from anyone young enough to intimidate and then you can see them behind the stage handing them to their mate in “plain clothes” who takes them back out into the festival and sells them. 

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6 minutes ago, BobWillis2 said:

I have. In silver hayes (especially wow) every year. Entering the crowd and confiscating from anyone young enough to intimidate and then you can see them behind the stage handing them to their mate in “plain clothes” who takes them back out into the festival and sells them. 

Whilst this clearly does happen across many of the dodgier security firms - all industries have bad eggs etc etc - even in the legit ones guards aren't allowed to keep many drugs in their position (if people start noticing guards carrying shit-tonnes of drugs their going to be attacked and robbed for them) and also can't leave their post - so there'll be guards whose job it is to take them and take them to the drug bins for the cops to dispose of. 

Not everything that looks dodgy is necessarily dodgy - it probably is but it might not be... 

Edited by willgooneday
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2 minutes ago, willgooneday said:

Whilst this clearly does happen across many of the dodgier security firms - all industries have bad eggs etc etc - even in the legit ones guards aren't allowed to keep many drugs in their position (if people start noticing guards carrying shit-tonnes of drugs their going to be attacked and robbed for them) and also can't leave their post - so there'll be guards whose job it is to take them and take them to the drug bins for the cops to dispose of. 

Not everything that looks dodgy is necessarily dodgy - it probably is but it might not be... 

It’s not an assumption. In the past Silver Hayes security have been taking peoples drugs so they can sell them. I have seen it. 

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2 minutes ago, BobWillis2 said:

It’s not an assumption. In the past Silver Hayes security have been taking peoples drugs so they can sell them. I have seen it. 

Fair enough. I was very careful to not deny it happens - but both scenarios happen generally at festivals depending on the firms. It's definitely something to send an email to the festival about though. They're probably not happy about that situation. 

Edited by willgooneday
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1 hour ago, One Tonne Baby said:

Saw an Asian security guard in the glade during annie mac on Friday, confiscating baggies. I’ve never seen it before. He had an ear piece and was behind the gate next to the sound desk so assume he was legit. He handed another Asian guy a bag of white powder for some reason as well.

I saw this very same guy at the Glade for Mashall Jefferson on the Thursday. Approached two lads who were wasted, and they ran for the hills. The security bloke appeared to be alerting other security by radio. Or that's how it seemed at the time!

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I don't remember seeing that many security people this year. The ones I did see it struck me how young and small a lot of them looked compared to some of the big beefy ones you'd see knocking about in the past. 

Or maybe it's just that I'm older and beefier (fatter) myself nowadays! 😁

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7 hours ago, Nudenut said:

Read in another thread of the strange sight of two Security Guards giving another "security" guard quite a battering and restraining him against the fence at the PG-C exit one eve so maybe one of these characters did get caught out.

Was myself that mentioned this. Wasn't clear what was going on but wouldn't have been surprised if it was a fake member of security being found out

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