Letter: Whit Weekend Policing

Cllr Garth Harkness

Below is a letter to the editor sent by parish councillor Garth Harkness, a Liberal Democrat who represents Springhead Lower. It’s about the issue of policing during the Whit Friday band contests and Saddleworth Beer Walk, and I’ve reproduced it in full.

If you want to respond to the points made in the letter, you can either leave a comment below this post, or send an e-mail by clicking on the Contact option at the top of this page. If you would like an e-mail published on this website then please mark it as a letter to the editor, and I’ll be happy to do so.

A letter from a Dobcross resident about the specific issue of post-contest policing is here, and more details of how the police operation went are here. Full coverage of Whit Friday from Saddleworth News can be found here, and articles about the Saddleworth Beer Walk are here.

“I know a lot went into organising this with collaboration with many different groups and it was a big success. I think that the collaboration between the police, stewards and organisers was excellent. I think the balance of police and stewards was right.

“I have heard of no major problems occurring with minimum disruptions to the roads. I spent Friday helping at Grotton and thought it was a big success. We also ran out of food.

“I also took part in the beer walk and again thought it was a great success with friendly and efficient policing. All the talk of intended heavy handed tactics and missing bits were unhelpful. Where there were any issues and the police were informed they responded with professionalism and disruption was minimal.

“If people have instances of this not occurring I am sure the police and organisers would appreciate feedback but I don’t think we should get away from the fact that, in the main, it was very well planned. We should be celebrating a successful weekend of events and policing.”

Cllr Garth Harkness

Author: Jude Gidney - Editor

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