Illegal rave - Halfway Forestry, Llandovery

Dyfed-Powys Police officers are dealing with a rave in the quarry of Halfway Forestry, Llandovery.

Concerned residents of the area reported a possible rave during the early hours of this morning (27 March 2022), and officers immediately attended the area.

Officers found large amounts of people had travelled to the site which was located within the Natural Resources Wales Forestry.

Overnight an authority under Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 was granted by the duty Chief Superintendent. This has allowed Dyfed-Powys Police officers to set up vehicle check points within a 5 mile radius of the scene in accordance with Section 65 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

Safety considerations surrounding breaking up the event were paramount, and a policy of containment and disrupting any further vehicles and people entering has been instigated overnight.
This will be constantly assessed throughout today by a senior officer at the scene, and a notice to ‘leave land’ could be issued to all present. It is estimated that there are approximately 300 – 400 attendees at the rave this morning.

Officers have arrested a 22 year old man for failing a drug swipe as he was trying to enter the site. He remains in police custody.

Inspector Dawn Fencott-Price said: “Some of those that have travelled to this rave were from as far afield as Devon and Gloucestershire. Social media was used to disclose the location at the last possible minute in order to prevent law enforcement taking preventative measures. We are really grateful to local residents for quickly reporting their concerns and allowing officers to take a practical approach to dealing with it. Our priority is to keep the area safe and end the unlawful gathering in a timely and peaceful manner. We will deal robustly with any offences that come to light during the course of this operation.”

Dyfed-Powys Police have a well-rehearsed strategy for dealing with illegal raves and unlicensed music events, collaborating with our partners such as Natural Resources Wales.