Greater Manchester Police warns criminals 'don't bother coming to Parklife'

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is working closely with Parklife security staff to intercept and arrest anyone travelling to Parklife festival with criminal intentions.

Yesterday afternoon (8 June 2023), Parklife security staff and their sharp nosed drug detection dogs were carrying out searches of people arriving on the site. In the course of these searches, a 24-year-old man was detained and quantity of pills was recovered along with a knife.

The male was subsequently arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs and possession of a bladed article and was taken into police custody for questioning.

Superintendent Phil Spurgeon, one of the leads for the Parklife policing operation , said: "Our message to the criminals is quite simply: don't bother coming to Parklife. 

"We have a really robust police and partnership community safety operation for the festival, and the arrest and seizure yesterday demonstrates the vigilance of security staff, our thorough search procedures and our commitment to keeping people safe.

"Make no mistake, illegal items such as weapons and drugs can have fatal consequences. Our top priority this weekend is keeping people safe, and anyone caught trying to take such items into the festival will be robustly dealt with.

"I hope the genuine festival-goers are excited for the fantastic weekend ahead and I am confident the majority will enjoy the event responsibly and safely."