A police investigation has today been launched after a small team of officers unsuccessfully attempted to break-up a 300 person-strong illegal ‘rave’ – which later ended in reports of a stabbing.
More than a dozen officers rushed to the lockdown-defying party in Paston, Peterborough, last night, where they found hundreds ‘intoxicated’ party-goers gathered in the street around vehicles, including a sporty Audi R8.
Police were initially called around 8.20pm, around two hours after the Prime Minister’s chief aide Dominic Cummings defended his 260 mile trip to Durham from London, which he claims was within lockdown rules.
However, officers did not show up until around 10pm due to a ‘number of incidents in Peterborough’, and when they did, they were unable to move the gathering due to the ‘sheer number of intoxicated people’.
The rave, which took place in the Sheepwalk housing estate, continued while a small team of officers were at the scene.
But specialist officers were then called to the scene an hour later, around 11pm, after reports of a stabbing.
A police investigation has today been launched after a small team of officers unsuccessfully attempted to break-up a 300 person-strong illegal ‘rave’ – which later ended in reports of a stabbing. Pictured police at the scene of the incident in Paston, Peterborough, last night
Police say they were unable to move the gathering due to the ‘sheer number of intoxicated people’. Pictured police at the scene of the incident in Paston, Peterborough, last night
When police arrived they found hundreds ‘intoxicated’ party-goers gathered in the street around vehicles, including a sporty Aldi R8 (pictured)
Cambridgeshire Police say officers and paramedics were unable to locate anyone with injuries, and no-one with stab wounds has since attended a local hospital.
The ‘rave’ continued until around 1am, when the music was finally switched off.
An investigation has now been launched.
Superintendent Adam Gallop, from Cambridgeshire Police, said: ‘We understand local residents were concerned, and some frightened, by the large gathering last night.
‘We will be conducting enquiries in the area over the coming days so residents may notice an increased presence. We will also be conducting patrols in the area to prevent any further similar incidents.
‘There is a line between organising community events to build morale in this challenging time, and the events of last night which very clearly were not acceptable.
‘The local policing teams will continue to work with all our communities to advise, guide and, where necessary, enforce guidance and legislation.
‘We are investigating the source of the gathering and how it came to be of such a scale.
‘Where any offences have been committed we will take action, but due to the scale of the event and the number of enquiries we need to carry out this could take some time.’
Police were initially called at about 8.20pm with reports of seven or eight cars and 20 to 30 people gathered in Sheepwalk.
Due to other operational commitments and ongoing incidents, officers were not able to attend until around 10pm, when the ambulance service reported a collision in Sheepwalk whereby a pedestrian had suffered minor injuries.
They also reported a ‘rave’ of up to about 300 people in the street.
Police were initially called at about 8.20pm with reports of seven or eight cars and 20 to 30 people gathered in Sheepwalk. Pictured police at the scene of the incident in Paston, Peterborough, last night
It was later deemed police had insufficient officer numbers to be able to safely move people on from the area.
At 11pm people gradually started to leave the area, however about an hour later there were reports someone had been stabbed.
Further officers were deployed, including specialist units, to support ambulance crews and locate the reported stabbing victim.
No one with any injuries was identified at the location, nor had they presented themselves at hospital.
Approximately 16 police officers were instructed to stay at the location to monitor the situation and deal with any specific disorder or threats to life, and to engage with those present to advise them to go home.
Just after 1am the majority of people had left the area, with music turned off and all people cleared from the area by about 1.30am.
Officers remained at the location until about 4am and will be carrying out patrols of the area throughout the week.
The incident follows a similar incident in Leeds, where up to 200 revellers were last night seen hugging and inhaling ‘hippy crack’ during a 12-hour illegal rave at a nature reserve before it was broken up by police for breaching lockdown rules.
Shocking footage shows the revellers hugging, dancing together, drinking and breathing in laughing gas from balloons.
The party-goers – most in their late teens and early 20s – trampled over nests and destroyed wildlife on Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve, in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
Flouting coronavirus social distancing rules the party-goers had to wade through the River Aire to access the nature reserve, which is on an island.
People are pictured having descended on the nature reserve in Leeds, West Yorkshire, for a rave
Firefighters rescued one female raver who got into difficulties in the water as she crossed the river and police made three arrests.
Sound equipment, mixing decks, lights and gazebos where set up on the island secretly on Monday afternoon and police and fire crews were sent to Kirkstall after several local residents reported loud music and big crowds near Redcote Lane, Kirkstall.
Officers arrived to find people wading through the River Aire to get across the water and try and access the nature reserve.
The police helicopter was also dispatched to the area and was seen flying low over parts of Kirkstall, Bramley and Burley until midnight, more than five hours on from the first reports about the incident.
As well as the arrests police seized sound equipment, the revellers were still seen dispersing at 5am today.