Raggamuffin behaviour best yet

Rotorua Police are very pleased with the smooth operation of the Raggamuffin festival, with the general consensus being that the crowd for the 2011 event was the most relaxed and well behaved yet.

Rotorua Area Commander, Inspector Bruce Horne, says the event and the Police operation to support it went very well.

"The Police goal was to work with partners to ensure the event was safe and enjoyable for all.

"Every year Police de-brief the event with partners in order to identify both what worked well and opportunities for further improvement. That approach has resulted in the event improving every year.

"The Police planning operation for Raggamuffin is now recognised as international best practice, with the chief planner, Senior Sergeant Brent Crowe, receiving an award from a panel of international crime science experts at a learning symposium in July 2010.

"A combination of factors contributed to the success of this years festival," says Inspector Horne.

"The festival organisers and key partners such as Rotorua District Council made some changes to make the event more 'family friendly.' Likewise, Police made some adjustments to their planning, and the third factor was a maturing in attitude of those attending the festival.

"In that regard the Police are very pleased that more people are picking up on the safety messages that Police have been putting out through the media and online through forums such as Facebook," says Inspector Horne.

He says although there were many positive elements to the event and the overall behaviour of most attending the festival was very good, Police are disappointed that some people are still not acting on key safety messages, in particular the importance of avoiding dehydration by drinking large quantities of water and consuming alcohol in moderation.

He says the arrests made by Police at the venue and it's environs were for alcohol and drug related offending. Both Police and St. John's ambulance staff dealt with a number of people who had collapsed as a result of drinking alcohol to excess.