Thursday, May 08, 2008

Custom Festival called off

The organisers of the Custom Rock and Blues festival have withdrawn their licence application amid police fears that the event was going to be targeted by some sort of biker gang looking to avenge the death of Gerard Tobin.

The organisers statement:

"We have a duty to customers, employees and the general public to take very seriously any representations made by the police based on intelligence which they have, no matter how sensationalised we believe it to have been."

Two curious points: Firstly, the organisers seem to have pulled out on the basis that they knew they were unlikely to get a licence in the teeth of police objections - is it possible to simultaneously "take seriously" something you describe as "sensationalised"?

Secondly: Isn't the police's role to protect people going about their lawful business from acts of violence, rather than tell them to stay at home just in case it turns nasty? Isn't this like the cops telling a bank not to open a branch in the High Street in case it persuades people to come and try and rob it?


2 comments:

Jimbo said...

It's actually Gerry Tobin who was murdered, but then again accurate reporting from NME is unlikely.

Anonymous said...

>>
Secondly: Isn't the police's role to protect people going about their lawful business from acts of violence, rather than tell them to stay at home just in case it turns nasty?<<

Sorry but I have to disagree. If the local STD clinic took the same attitude, they would have a sign up saying "only book an appt if you think your cock is about to drop off" rather than handing out condoms at every opportunity.

And...as a taxpayer, I would rather the police had a quiet word than spend oodles of overtime cash dealing with possible unpleasantness.

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