Will police drones signal the death of illegal raves?

After more than two decades of cat and mouse games between UK law enforcers and revellers, it has finally come down to one question after an event was shut down last weekend with help from the local Unmanned Aviation Support Group - will police drones signal the death of illegal raves? 

At around 1AM on Sunday 6th August, Wiltshire Police arrvied at land near Devizes, after discovering a gathering of around 100 people on the site. The party was brought to a close, with two people arrested- one on suspicion of selling drugs, the other related to drunk and disorderly charges. 

According to local paper Gazette & Herald, and as per the police force’s own Twitter feed, the Unmanned Aviation Support Group had ‘another busy evening’, with reports explaining how officers had been deployed to break up the illegal rave after footage revealed what was happening.

This comes at a time when free parties have seen a resurgence in some parts of Britain, with one recent session in Salford, Greater Manchester, running uninterrupted all night close to the northern HQ of the BBC. In the past, police have relied on tip-offs and first hand sightings to hone in on such activities, and in many instances have found themselves unable to close events down due to concerns over the ability to safely evacuate the area used. This latest development would suggest the powers that be have a new upper hand, although only time will tell how much of an impact it will have overall. 

Meanwhile, in other rave-related news, Stamina MC has just published an archive of sets from the heyday of old skool parties, all of which are available to download. Read more about that here.