Riot police raid 30th barbecue because man used Facebook to invite his friends
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:02 AM on 17th July 2009
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Riot police raided a 30th birthday barbecue because they thought the organiser, who had invited his friends via Facebook, was staging a rave.
Four police cars, a riot van and a helicopter moved in on Andrew Poole's gathering which was taking place in a field owned by a friend.
The coach driver had invited 17 guests to an 'event' on his social networking page by private invitation and was about to light the barbecue when the gazebo suddenly started flapping wildly and the sound of chopper blades filled the air.
The gazebo under which the party guests were gathered because it had started to rain. Then the police riot van arrived...

Coach driver Andrew Poole said the police simply came in and stopped 15 people eating burgers
A police helicopter circled the field several times before four police cars and a riot van stormed into the field in a small village near Sowton, Devon.
Eight officers wearing camouflage trousers and body armour then jumped out and ordered the party to be shut down or everyone would be arrested.
Andrew, of Exeter, Devon, said: 'It had started to rain so we had gone in under the gazebo. All of a sudden there was this noise in the sky - I honestly couldn't believe it.
'The thing then hovered over us for about 25 minutes, watching 15 people eat. They told us to take down the sound system and said everybody's got to leave.
'It was 4pm and we hadn't even plugged the music in yet. We tried to reason with them, and even offered for them to take the power lead for the sound system, but they were having none of it.
'It was on private land. We were nowhere near anyone. We weren't even playing any music. What effectively the police did was come in and stop fifteen people eating burgers.'
Andrew had spent £800 for the hire of the generator, marquee and food. The guests arrived at 3pm but soon after a police helicopter generated a huge dust cloud which covered his BBQ in debris.
Andrew said: 'The police had full-on camouflage trousers on and body-armour, it was ridiculous. There was also several plain-clothes officers as well.
'I told them it was my 30th birthday. I said "this is a once in a lifetime event for me, please don't ruin it". But they kept on insisting I had been advertising it as an all-night rave on the internet.
'But I'd created an event, and 17 people had confirmed as guests, I did put the times on it as "overnight" in case people wanted to sleep-over.
'They were still banging on saying it was advertised on the internet. They wouldn't accept it wasn't a rave. It was in a completely isolated field.
'We'd actually faced the speakers away from the village just in case nosy-neighbour types complained. But someone must have seen us putting up the marquee and phoned the police.'
A spokeswoman for Devon and Cornwall police said the helicopter was deployed for less that 20 minutes at a cost of around £200.
She said local residents were concerned due to previous raves having reportedly taken place in the area with loud music and traffic disruption into the early hours.
She said: 'The decision to close down a rave or illegal music festival is not taken lightly.
'On this occasion, we were extremely concerned how the event had been advertised on the internet as an all-night party and it was therefore necessary to take the appropriate steps.
'Had it gone ahead, it is likely that far more of our resources would have been used to police the event and there would have been considerable disruption to neighbouring properties.
'It was fortunate that the force helicopter was able to fly over the site as they were returning from another task


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1200310/Police-raid-30th-birthday-barbecue-man-used-Facebook-invite-friends.html#ixzz0LXfT3LNu

Frazzled wrote:(turns on grandma's digital camera with pics of cops rappelling down ropes)

BrookM wrote:This happened in the UK, so no. They're not as gung-ho out for blood.

'Had it gone ahead, it is likely that far more of our resources would have been used to police the event and there would have been considerable disruption to neighbouring properties.
'It was fortunate that the force helicopter was able to fly over the site as they were returning from another task

Frazzled wrote:

BrookM wrote:This happened in the UK, so no. They're not as gung-ho out for blood.

Andrew said: 'The police had full-on camouflage trousers on and body-armour, it was ridiculous.

Sounds like a SWAT or SWAT wannabe unit to me. Although if its British would they be saying "RIGHT! oi! oi! oi!" instead?

Frazzled wrote:

BrookM wrote:This happened in the UK, so no. They're not as gung-ho out for blood.

Andrew said: 'The police had full-on camouflage trousers on and body-armour, it was ridiculous.

Sounds like a SWAT or SWAT wannabe unit to me. Although if its British would they be saying "RIGHT! oi! oi! oi!" instead?

barlio wrote:Either that or Raves are SERIOUS BUSINESS!

Police are desperately trying to find out details of a "mega" illegal rave expected to take place in the coming weeks, as forces across the country begin to report a significant resurgence in the free party movement.
First signs of the rebirth of the outdoor rave came last year, but partygoers now appear to be more emboldened to challenge laws brought in 12 years ago by the Conservative government to crush a scene that epitomised the dance and drug culture of the early 90s.

Forces admit there has been a surge in activity, including one party in north Cornwall that was attended by more than 5,000 revellers. Officers are warning landowners and the public to be on their guard after receiving intelligence that large raves may be being planned for weekends in August, particularly over the bank holiday.

The Devon and Cornwall police force is particularly concerned that partygoers will attempt to gather for a large rave in the West Country after the success of the event earlier this summer when revellers were able to sneak on to a disused airfield using a car rally as cover.

On a national level forces are working hard to make sure they share information about raves in the pipeline.

Thames Valley police is using Asbo legislation to try to take out prolific rave organisers, while police in Norfolk, another rave hotspot, this week urged landowners to make sure ravers cannot get access to prime party sites.

The so-called "rebirth of rave" is being put down by enthusiasts as a rebellion against the "chav culture" blighting many clubs and against the sort of music created by the likes of Coldplay.

Dave Jenkins, clubs editor for International DJ magazine and himself a fan of the free party scene, said: "Rave has been bubbling under since its heyday - every so often there's a new influx of young people who get into it. This year there has been a huge rebirth."

Derek Williams, a veteran raver and chronicler of the scene, added: "The drugs clampdown has resulted in fewer underground clubs and more alcohol, chav-orientated legal venues.

"This has driven alternative-minded people away from legal venues to the underground raves."

The ravers seem to be staying a step ahead of the police, using ever more sophisticated means and complicated networks to advertise parties.

Another aspect of the movement is the number of much smaller raves, involving just a few score or few hundred people and taking place in a remote spot like a moor or wood, which the police only rarely get to hear about.

The rave movement reached its zenith in the late 80s and early 90s. The movement declined after new laws gave the police stronger powers to tackle them but, as events have shown this summer, did not disappear.

Over May bank holiday this year hundreds of VW and custom car fans headed to Newquay in north Cornwall for an annual Run for the Sun rally. The police did not notice that among them were many hundreds much more interested in sounds systems than air-cooled engines.

Officers watched helpless while as many as 5,000 people partied at a well-organised but illegal rave on a disused airfield at Davidstow, near Camelford. Once thousands of people are on site the police tend to monitor and contain the event rather than try to break it up.

In other parts of the country police have managed to stop big raves. One which had attracted as many as 2,000 people in Northamptonshire was halted; a week later Avon and Somerset police got wind of a planned rave at an old firing range and managed to blockade it. Chief Inspector Richard Baker of Devon and Cornwall's contingency planning unit accepted the Davidstow rave had not been on the police's radar but said the force was now better prepared.

Intelligence specialists were monitoring websites and party phonelines to try to pick up word of further free parties and festivals. The bank holiday on the last weekend of August has been pinpointed as a possible date for a large rave.

While police express confidence about picking up word of large raves, privately they admit they have little chance of preventing smaller ones.

Dan, a moderator on a website which is a favourite with free party enthusiasts and a regular on the south-west rave scene, said there were such gatherings almost every weekend. "There are lots of parties which 50, 100 or 250 people attend. They are local affairs which people get to know about by word of mouth. People tend to be responsible - they dig latrines, they find remote spots so residents are not disturbed, and they tidy up after themselves."

Another south-west raver, who calls himself CrazyMC69, said the scene was a peaceful one. "If you go into Exeter on a Saturday night you'll see fights. I've never seen any trouble at a free party."

Danya, 18, said: "For me it's all about the music - it's fresh and vibrant, so different to what you get in clubs. I think it's cool that the children of the original ravers are now getting into it."

Naturally, the scene has developed since the 80s and 90s. The DJs use MP3 players as well as record decks and partygoers are equipped with global positioning systems to find remote raves rather than Ordnance Survey maps. Text messaging and websites make it easy to get the word out about an event.

But it's not all peace and love. Website moderator Dan said some of the larger crews - the operators of the sound systems - are being forced out of urban areas by tougher policing and have moved into rural areas like the south-west. "It can be an ego thing - wanting to put on the biggest party, wanting to put two fingers up to authority. Bigger isn't always best."

FAQ Peace, love, dehydration

What were the raves of the 80s and 90s all about?

All-night dance events in vast warehouses, the drug ecstasy, smiley faces, new age travellers. Peace, love, dehydration. Later huge outdoor gatherings such as the Castlemorton festival in 1992 when 30,000 danced the week away, to the horror of the Tory government.

Why did they decline?

The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. Section 63 gave police the power to tackle "a gathering on land in the open air ... at which amplified music is played during the night".

So where did the ravers go?

Some went back to legitimate clubs. A few got into Oasis and Blur. The hardy kept on going, setting up smaller networks, the popularity of which has ebbed and flowed.

How underground is the current scene?

It isn't difficult to find out what is going on. A quick surf on the internet will reveal websites devoted to the subject. Get chatting on the sites' message boards.

Are raves prohibited in other countries?

Huge raves are still taking place on the continent. CzechTek, held on military training ground in the Czech Republic, will draw tens of thousands later this week.

jp400 wrote:I dug a little further and came across these pics from the local Police Dept training manual:





Also found this pic taken during the raid:

BrookM wrote:That they don't open fire unlike silly yankees?