I have every sympathy with Mr Benton as a very similar thing happened to me some six months ago. He did not mention the clearing up afterwards. I had to clear up all sorts of things including evidence of every bodily function you can imagine.
Andrew Duke
If any of the ravers had injured themselves on his farming equipment it would be interesting to know whether the poor farmer would have found himself liable under those circumstances.
Julia Warner
We are now 15 years into dance culture in this country, and parties like the one described have been happening for at least 10. In 1992, the police response would have been transit-van loads of support units in riot gear, dogs, helicopters and mass arrests, fueled by tabloid hysteria over what was then called 'Acid House' music.
The response of Linconshire Constabulary in 2002 reflects a more sensible and pragmatic approach based on years of experience; however annoying such a party is to the landowner, it simply does not pose the same level of threat to public order that the conventional New Year drinkers in town centres do.
While I sympathise with the farmer - having been to such events I know the mess that can be left behind - the police have more important things to use their limited resources on, and are making decisions accordingly.
One solution might be to change the law which currently penalises landowners who help organise or profit from raves on their land. As we are always hearing farmers say they cannot survive on raising crops or livestock, perhaps 'farming' raves could be another way of making a living.
Tim Jenkins
I would like to propose the following rave venues, in light of police policy not to intervene where there are less than 100 revellers:
Lincolnshire Police Headquarters
In each case it is apparently acceptable to make a forced entry and occupy the premises with up to 100 people. I am sure your listeners can improve on the list.
Phil Thompson
The police acted in a sensible and practical way by having two officers present to monitor the situation. While the ravers were trespassing they where not out to commit acts of violence or robbery, yes they had damaged a gate and set fire to some old pallets to keep warm on a night when temperatures must have been well below freezing.
To have deployed upwards of 50 police officers plus probably a helicopter to disperse the ravers would be excessive and would have cost an enormous amount of money and taken valuable manpower away from dealing with potential crimes elsewhere such as robbery, violence, drunk driving etc - none of which have been reported as occuring at this rave.
While I have sympathy for the farmer and feel since the police couldn't do anything to remove the ravers that he needs compensation for any material loss and clearing up - this would be a fraction of the cost of evicting the ravers.
But as to complaints of noise on New Year's Eve? I don't think the police would take much notice - urban or rural.
Paul Davies
This is a disgrace. Quite simply, the police chief concerned should be sacked over this. If a police garage had been broken into and invaded by ravers you can be damned sure they'd have been chucked out pretty quick! This is another fine example of how farmers and their property are treated as unimportant by the police.
When a rave takes place on a farm - it's a just a bit of harmless fun. When game birds are stolen by thieves it's just called 'poaching' - a bucolic euphemism if ever there was one!
I hope very much that an organisation like the Countryside Alliance will take up a campaign to have the police chief responsible for this farce sacked. He doesn't deserve to wear the uniform. I'm sure most Today listeners would agree.
I'd love to get 70 people together and have a party in the idiots garden at 03:00 in the morning - if I did, would a "Today" reporter be there to cover it? I'm up for it - are you?
Peter Allingham
The Police behaved absolutely correctly. Any heavy handed approach would have caused trouble, and not 'Kept the peace'. What danger was the farmer in from a few partying youngsters? What were the police supposed to do exactly? Crack a few heads, lock up some youngsters on New Year's Eve? How much would that cost, and what would it achieve?
Policing Stonehenge and all the other so-called illegal raves over the last 20 years has cost the taxpayer millions of pounds that could just as easily have been spent on some fields around the country specially for parties like this. We used to have common land for exactly this kind of event.
When are our citizens, our future taxpayers, our children, going to be given access to some land so that rave parties like this can be a right and not a stolen pleasure. It sounds as if our children are more in need of protection from rabid NIMBY farmers than the other way round.
Dave Bancroft
Are the interviewers suggesting that the police should act without any regard for the safety of themselves or the ravers to protect property? This action taken to its logical conclusion leads to the kind of dangerous policing seen at the Mayday 'riots' last year and it is the sensationalist attention of the media which pushes the police into a 'must act' policy when a common sense approach would be a far safer solution for society as a whole.
Will Scarnell
There are much wider implications raised here. Yet again an innocent party has been let down by the justice system. We all have the human and natural right to defend ourselves, our families and our property. As members of a civilised society we forego that right, delegating it to the forces of law and order - the police and the courts. However, if these bodies fail to fulfil the trust placed in them they cannot complain if the members of society take these rights back into their own hands and act accordingly.
Mike Compson
I believe the police were absolutely correct. The inspector you interviewed made an entirely sensible point about the number of officers needed to arrest a crowd of between 50 and 80 people. It should be obvious that our generally undermanned police forces cannot keep in reserve large groups of officers dotted around a whole county just on standby for unpredictable events of this kind.
Phil Rowlands
Is it any wonder that intruders on rural land get threatened with shotguns and even killed and then the farmer gets prosecuted just because the police are not willing to enforce the law? I understand that, in this instance, it was New Year's Eve and their resources were already allocated and it was not an emergency situation, but I'm sure if the will had been there, two officers could have coped with 50 partygoers.
Stewart Buckingham Smart
I was pleased to hear confirmation by the Lincolnshire Policeman on the Today programme this morning that as I live in a "remote and rural area" the rule of law applies less to me than it does to those who live in urban areas. Perhaps if 99 revellers were to break into city-centre shopping mall and conduct an all-night illegal rave the police would not only do nothing, but would then try to publicly justify their inaction. I don't think so!
Will Burr
I am afraid the story comes as no surprise. We in the rural community regularly have our property invaded by large groups of people intent on illegally coursing hares, driving over cropped fields and frequently threatening violence. Lincolnshire Police seem unable or unwilling to help.
Peter Gilbert
If the police expended as much effort in pursuing wrongdoers as they do in trying to prosecute victims of crime who try to defend themselves and their property, then they would enjoy greater respect and co-operation from ordinary members of the public. As it is, it is apparent that they go for the soft option every time. Why do wrongdoers have more rights than law abiding citizens?
Peter Weller
Is it any wonder that people take the law into their own hands with the example set by Lincolnshire Police? Regardless of resources, police taking this non-intervention stance have sent a clear message to yobs that they can get away with anything.
Stephen Chidgey
Isn't it known that the police don't make the laws? Isn't it well known that cases fail when the police act outside the law? Interview the people who make the laws, don't shrilly grill the police.
Elizabeth LeMoine
to have your say.
