Preventing and Dealing with Assaults at Music Festivals.

A primary objective for music festival organisers is to create and run events that are safe environments for everyone on a site. Despite efforts to improve awareness and increased preventative measure the number of assaults allegedly taking pace at music festivals continues. What measures can organisers take to prevent and handle incidents of assault at their events.

Assault incidents reported at music festivals can vary from sexual harassment and minor scuffles to more serious life-threatening occurrences. Violent behaviour is often linked to excessive alcohol consumption and can occur between festival-goers or involve staff and volunteers too. There have been challenges in obtaining reliable data on the number of incidents and only a tiny minority ever result in a successful prosecution. However, organisers should continue to do their utmost to create a safe environment. 

Reporting Accurate Statistics. 
There have been very few studies on the incidents of assault at music festivals although the media will often report on more serious occurrences if an assault was particularly violent and involved serious injury or worse. A study conducted by Durham University in the UK found that one-third of women experienced sexual harassment at music festivals for example. However, establishing accurate data continues to be challenging due to general underreporting and the large variations in how data is collected. 

Causes of Assaults. 
A music festival environment can create opportunities for potential perpetrators due to the crowded transient nature of attendees. Excessive alcohol and substance abuse appears to be the most likely cause that triggers attacks by those committing assaults as well as exposing vulnerabilities for victims. In addition, cultural factors may be at play as the festival environment inadvertently normalises inappropriate behaviour. 

Preventative Measures. 
Festival organisers are mostly aware of potential assaults that may take place during their events and will put in place measures to minimise the occurrence of any incidents. A professional well-trained team of security personnel can observe crowds and quickly identify incidents and take appropriate action, their presence can also act as a deterrent. All festival staff and volunteers need to receive appropriate training prior to the event in how to spot and deal with assault incidents. These measures can work in tandem with good CCTV coverage that can identify incidents remotely as well as record any evidence for future action. Communicating the festival’s policies on assault should be well publicised in their social media and website, this should be reinforced with signage on-site. A statement of zero tolerance should be made along with reporting procedures and consequences for perpetrators. On a large festival site, it may not be possible to cover every space with staff and CCTV so campaigns to encourage bystander intervention can help keep attendees safe. Many organisers also create safe zones which are secure areas made available for those that feel threatened. 

Handling Complaints. 
Organisers should have a robust reporting procedure for any complaints received about assault incidents. If an incident is ongoing, it can be helpful to have a rapid response team which may include security personnel and medical staff. Festival-goers should find it easy to report an incident with clearly designated staff who will have been trained to handle every incident with empathy and professionalism. Where appropriate they can refer the complainant to on-site medial teams and psychologists, if present. Any police present on the festival site should be involved in the complaints procedure so they can gather evidence and take further action if possible. 

Reporting.  
If the organisers have adopted a robust assault reporting process for their events, they should be able to capture data for further analysis. Serious incident details and evidence can be passed onto police and legal professionals if further action is warranted. Analysis of assault data can help with planning for future events identifying risks and providing staff training opportunities. 

For festival organisers planning their next events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

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