Police to review response to 'nuisance' rave and party

A rave took place place in the Stokes Croft area of Bristol

A police force has said it is reviewing its response to two mass gatherings.

A rave was held in the Stokes Croft area of Bristol, and a large party took place in the St Werburgh's area overnight on Saturday into Sunday.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson said the force would "would like to apologise" to people affected by the "noise and nuisance".

They said the gatherings were not dispersed sooner because officers had been busy dealing with other incidents.

The spokesperson said the force was "reviewing the appropriateness of our response to two calls" received at about 16:00 BST on Saturday regarding "a possible party being organised at Sydenham Road, and whether this presented any opportunities to review our procedures".

"When we had complaints at about 17:30 BST regarding noise nuisance in Sydenham Road [in Stokes Croft] and in Narroways Road, St Werburgh's, officers were unable to attend immediately due to the number of live incidents across Bristol.

The force said it on that occasion officers decided to focus on preventing further attendance at the events

"[This included] assaults, collisions, domestic abuse, concern for welfare and missing people, in many cases with a significant risk of someone coming to physical harm.

"As further calls came in from 19:30 BST there were already significant numbers at each location.

"Police did attend and speak with the organisers who refused to engage."

"For the safety of all involved, due to the potential for serious disorder, it was decided to focus on preventing further attendance at the events rather than attempting to seize the sound system."

The force said officers would patrol "potential rave sites" in the coming days, and engage with the owners of vacant properties and landowners to ensure they had appropriate security.