Police took wrong rave option

ARE others in the town as concerned as we are about the huge police force required to disperse a party of young people? Other parents have expressed their concern regarding this extraordinary use of police power. It was a shocking sight to see the number

ARE others in the town as concerned as we are about the huge police force required to disperse a party of young people?

Other parents have expressed their concern regarding this extraordinary use of police power. It was a shocking sight to see the number of riot vans and cars preparing to break up this illegal gathering.

These raves happen all over the country, and indeed all over Europe every weekend. Most are policed with a couple of patrol cars ensuring that every one arrives and leaves safely.

Had they left the revellers alone, it is likely that nothing would have happened apart from a disgruntled farmer and a muddy field. Bin bags had already been distributed for the rubbish.

The youngsters say that the police were very heavy- handed, some witnessed their friends being hit with truncheons. These are the same young people whose excellent exam results we have seen recently celebrated, many from Saffron Walden.

When we phoned the police station on Sunday lunchtime having no news of our son, we were told they had no lists of the injured or arrested, they simply did not have that information! We were also told we could not go to the site to find our son and his friends. We had to wait for news, which fortunately came soon after.

However, the biggest puzzle is that the police were politely directing queues of young people to the rave on Friday and Saturday night!

Even those who did not know that the party was on! Could they not have prevented access at this point? Parents (us included) dropping off youngsters, were waved in by the police. Was this to ensure that enough young people were at the rave to justify the police action?

M Watson and P Beattie

Monks Hill

Saffron Walden