GARDAI AND CONCERT promoters MCD have issued an update to the ongoing review process following the Swedish House Mafia concert in the Phoenix Park last month, during which nine people were stabbed.
A report from the Garda Commissioner earlier this month stated that MCD’s control centre was not fit for purpose and said that the Phoenix Park was not suitable for use as a venue for large-scale dance music concerts.
MCD boss Denis Desmond called the report unbalanced and said that it had been agreed that further review meetings would be held between Gardaí and MCD before the publication of any reviews of the concerts.
MCD’s security preparations were criticised and the report stated that the Phoenix Park as a venue was too accessible and inappropriate for the anticipated crowd demographic for the Swedish House Mafia gig
This most recent update, which is the result of a series of meetings between MCD and Gardaí, assesses the success of the policing and security process at the recent series of concerts at Marlay Park.
The enhanced measures put in place have been praised while both the Gardaí and the promoters have praised the cooperation of the concert-goers.
Fifty-three people were arrested at the Marlay Park concerts last weekend for public order and minor drug offences – 18 at the gig featuring Kasabian and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and 35 at David Guetta’s performance. The final gig which saw Van Morrison and Tom Jones headline passed off without incident.
Speaking to Today FM earlier this month Denis Desmond linked the violence at the Swedish House Mafia concert to the availability of cheap alcohol and also questioned the attitude of the gardaí to public drinking.
Alcohol was seized from concert goers as they headed towards the Marlay Park concert area, and 412 people were refused entry to the David Guetta gig as they were underage.
Both the promoters and the Gardaí have condemned the actions of what they say was a very small percentage of people who engaged in anti-social behaviour.
They said they’ll be working together to ‘develop further robust protocols regarding procedures, and to fully implement the lessons which are being learned by both parties from this in-depth review’.
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