SEPTEMBER | COVER FEATURE
and The Loop’ s specialist harm reduction team.
“ Safety testing can actually reduce the number of drugs that are used at an event. It is not uncommon for festival-goers to voluntarily dispose of their drugs after safety testing reveals what they are composed of.
“ If we are to cut crime and save lives there’ s one thing we can all agree on; we need fresh ideas. Beyond our moral duty to protect life, the potential savings for public services and in turn the taxpayer, could be vast if just one serious overdose is prevented. Safety testing also helps the police to gather intelligence on new drugs in the region. That intelligence can then be used to warn people of the dangers around these substances, and to prosecute the dealers who are putting profit above young people’ s lives,” she continues.
Meanwhile, the event industry is integrating strict door policies and considering rolling out drug testing across the board.
Drug use is acknowledged as a reality at all venues, according to Vibration Group’ s Simeon Aldred, as well as festivals and public events across the world.“ All venues owners and festival owners are more than aware of the license risks brought from breaching regulations around drug or alcohol abuse. So, this is not just a moral priority for us, it’ s very much a commercial one too.
“ At Printworks London we have Zero Tolerance to drugs-use in the venue. Our very robust door policy ensures that we’ re compliant with the licence. Last year we had more than 300,000 guests through the door with no major safety or welfare issues. But this was more about our event operations.
“ The reality is that people pre-load drugs before they get to venues, or even have them concealed where security cannot check. In response, we provide world-class medical services onsite, safe areas, brilliant security training and amnesty opportunities. These are super simple mitigation methods that all work. Have we had people need the help of our medical team as a result of pre-loaded drug use? Yes, for sure! But with the right team and the correct training in place, we provide a safe space for these guests. It’ s not just about having medics, it’ s about having a team that understand the substances and are totally fluent with the systems.
Aldred adds that outside of London, organisations such as The Loop are leading thinking around drug testing and use.“ This safe space is helping party
goers make more educated choices around what they decide to use,” he concludes.
On the subject of event cancellation, Tilsed adds that insurance policies will normally provide cover against“ unavoidable” cancellation, so it is therefore essential the policy includes a 24 / 7 helpline so that an agreed approach is taken.“ There is the added benefit that many of these policies also include a crisis containment service which can provide assistance to the organiser on how they deal with all PR issues associated with the announcement of a cancellation,” he adds.
While an event cancellation is now very much a proven possibility when drug problems spiral out of control, there are signs that government is taking a slightly more progressive approach to the situation overall, according to Reed.
“ The Home Office recently went on record to say that they will not stand in the way of testing. I don’ t think it should be a licensing objective as this would have unintended consequences, but I do think it’ s a service that should be available to all events who feel they have a need for it.
“ If testing takes place, it needs to happen in the correct way, with the right equipment and properly trained staff. The Loop certainly deliver this. We went to see it in operation on-site at Boomtown last year and it’ s a sophisticated operation, done with FTIR spectroscopy linked to a computer database of all known legal and illegal substances.”
The industry remains united in the cause of preventing drug harm, but after a particularly tragic year for drug deaths, it seems a consensus is emerging for a route forward. Thankfully, we’ re better equipped than ever.
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