Police arrest 400 at Strawberry Fair

Police disappointed at large numbers flouting the law


CIT0561334 Some call it a festival for wacky hippies and crack heads others call it a family friendly fair. Strawberry Fair is dividing opinion. The police are certainly keen to tame its debauched image.

Last week at the event nearly 400 people were booked by police. There were 73 formal arrests and 244 formal warnings for cannabis possession. In addition there were  8 offences for urinating in public.

Superintendent Simon Megicks, who led the police operation, said: “The weekend was very busy and officers worked hard to help make this an enjoyable, safe event. We took action against people who flouted the law. It is a disappointment that there were over 400 prosecutions.”

A spokeswoman for the police added: “Thousands of people enjoyed Strawberry Fair in safety at the weekend thanks to positive action taken by police officers. As always, the number one priority for officers is to ensure public safety and uphold the law throughout the day.”

Custody blocks at Parkside in Cambridge, Huntingdon police station and Thorpe Wood in Peterborough were used.

Last year 38 people were arrested for drugs and public order offences. 300 drug seizures were made – mostly for cannabis.

Fixed penalty notices of £80 were handed out to 20 people for urinating and DEFECATING in the street.

Justin Argent, event chairman, said: “We spent a lot of time listening to feedback from residents’ groups and in response, we had more than 25 per cent more toilets and around two-and-a-half kilometres of fencing to prevent fair-goers from spilling into the surrounding streets.