An unauthorised gathering of people in the East Lulworth area has been dispersed.
The incident was first reported to police at 12.36am on Sunday 17 April 2022. It was believed that about 1000 people were attending the event with a large number of vehicles seen travelling through the area.
Throughout the night and day police supported by partner agencies including the MOD, Dorset Council, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue and other public services worked hard to deal with the risks and impacts on the local community and bring the event to a safe conclusion.
Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya said: “Throughout the incident we worked in partnership with other public sector and military agencies to achieve the positive resolution.
“Police officers entered the site and directed people to leave the scene of the unlawful gathering using powers under the Public Order Act. Due to the large scale of the event and the inherent impact of dispersing such high number of people, this process took some time. In our operations we always have to balance enforcement activities with the safety of our officers and all those involved. Making sure that a site is cleared without any escalation or moving the risk to our road network is always a difficult process.
“The unauthorised event started to disperse during the afternoon. However, we will continue to monitor the situation and will have a presence in the area.
“I would like to thank our local community for their patience while we took positive action to deal with this incident. We are very grateful for the support our officers have been given.”
