Crime Reduction and Personal Safety



Glastonbury Festival is an overwhelmingly peaceful event, yet some crime does unfortunately occur. The most common crime is theft from – or even of – tents. Free property lock-ups are provided, security staff and stewards patrol the site and CCTV cameras are employed – both on and off site – for crime prevention purposes.

You can help yourself by following the advice below. Don’t let the criminals disrupt your enjoyment by committing crime against you or your friends.

  • Lock and empty your vehicles. Leave the glove compartment open and conspicuously empty.
  • Only bring what you can afford to lose: you can buy disposable cameras on site.
  • There’s safety in groups: set up camp near friends and make friends with your neighbours. Look out for each other’s property.
  • Mark your property: clearly label your gear (including your tent) with your postcode. Obvious indelible markings will significantly reduce the risk of things being stolen and will increase the chance of their return if found. Tag your keys with a phone number and a friends address. UV pens are also available at Property Lock-ups for marking your property.
  • Use the security lockups for your valuables: the lockups are FREE and available 24 hours.
  • Take any valuables – including prescription medication – with you when you leave your tent: keep them with you or store them in the security lock-ups.
  • To make life harder for thieves, leave your tent untidy so there’s not an obvious bag to grab quickly.
  • Be inventive about where you hide your valuables when sleeping: you may not hear someone enter your tent, so separate your money and valuables into small amounts and hide them in different places in your tent.
  • Don’t challenge people looking through tents – report them to Festival staff or the Police. Campsite stewards are there for reporting suspicious behaviour, and offenders WILL be expelled from site.
  • Keep with friends or people you trust: unfortunately at any large gathering a small number of people attend to prey on others. You present a far less vulnerable target as a group than you would on your own.
  • Avoid dark areas and take advantage of the extra lighting along main thoroughfares and in the car parks.

Money sense:

  • Don’t keep all your cash and valuables in the same place: spread them around in different pockets.
  • If using the cash machines after dark, go with a friend.
  • Only take the credit cards you need.
  • Make a note of your credit card numbers and leave it at home, plus the number to call if they are mislaid (phone numbers for lost credit cards are also held at Info Points).
  • Wear your wristband at all times. The wristbands alone are not valid for entry/re-entry – so transferring them is useless, but you will need to wear your wristband at all times. Once inside the security fence the authorities are able to make a visual check on the legitimacy of each person on site.
  • Read “The Knowledge” in the Festival Programme: it’s full of useful information and tips to help you have a fantastic Festival experience.

If you do have something stolen, or if you lose something:

Lost property is at Worthy Welfare. Over 700 items were handed in during last year’s Festival including 250 wallets/cardholders with contents, 118 mobile phones and 38 cameras. It is always worth checking there if anything goes missing.

The Police compound is at the top of the Big Ground camping field, near the Bank and the Farmhouse. Please report all crime. The Police can give you statements for insurance purposes.

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