Update on Creamfields 2023 policing operation

This year’s policing operation for the Creamfields music festival has come to a successful conclusion.

Making sure people attending Creamfields stayed safe was once again a top priority for the force at this year’s event.

The festival involved a significant policing operation both over the bank holiday weekend itself, and during the planning phase.

Cheshire Police worked closely with the organisers as they do every year, and a host of other agencies, to make it as safe as possible, and limit any adverse impact on the local community.

In total 118 people were arrested at the festival for a variety of offences compared to 164 last year.

A total of 164 crimes were reported for a variety of offences compared to 222 last year - the most common being drug related. Drug offences were also down, with 99 offences compared to 135 last year.

Superintendent Sarah Heath, who led the policing operation for Creamfields 2023, said:

“Almost 70,000 people attend this year’s event and I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the vast majority of festival-goers for their cooperation and their behaviour and for all the agencies that worked together so well throughout.

“We recognise that large events can have an increased prevalence of drugs and by working with other agencies in the run-up and during the weekend we have sought to address this.

“There were drugs dogs at entrances and opportunities for illegal substances and weapons to be placed in surrender bins along with an extensive search process by security personnel at entrances to the site.

“A conscious effort was also made to target those who were intent on supplying illegal substances at the event – which accounted for more than half of the arrests made – while we made use of other options available to us, such as community resolutions, for lower level offences.

“In addition, this year we had an increased presence with officers from Project Servator in attendance. This team’s aim was to deter and detect a range of criminal activity while providing a reassuring presence for the public.”

Project Servator is a national operation that works with partner agencies, including other police forces, businesses and the public, to continue to protect people and to make it difficult for criminals and terrorists to operate.