The music festivals for this summer are due to start very soon, although figures released today may make some festival goers a little wary and change their attitude towards security. Festivals such as Leeds, Reading, Glastonbury, Creamfields and Download have all been named as places where attendees should keep an eye on their belongings. Interesting statistics reveal that many festival goers are unaware of how to secure their belongings away and many have stated that they were unaware that crime happened at festivals.
The insurance company Aviva has released figures that indicate that one in seven festival attendees has been the victim of theft. Last summer the number of reported thefts reached an all time high, with the value of the thefts resulting in £190,000 of personal belonging being stolen. There were 945 reported incidents from seven of the largest festivals in the UK.
The police have stated that security teams should be organized by the festival operators, although the monitoring of crime is not their responsibility. In order to minimize theft, festival goers are advised the secure their belongings. The biggest targets that thieves appear to go for are unattended tents, in these cases two thirds of the thefts had been in this situation. The amount of pickpocketing that occurs at festivals is also incredibly high, especially in widely crowded areas.
The £190,000 of thefts is believed to be so high due to the high amounts of expensive equipment that some festival goers choose to take with them to the festivals. Such items include digital cameras, MP3 players, expensive footwear and designer clothing. The average individual theft totaled £928, which shows the amount of expensive equipment being taken to some festivals.
Festival organisers have stated that the responsibility of looking after personal belongings lies with the individuals that attend festivals. Some festivals do have security that walk the sites, although thefts usually happen in busy periods.
Festival goers are advised to keep their belongings safe whilst attending a festival this summer.