Somewhat overwhelmed by the extent of the raves’ scale, and the rapidity with which they were organised, Manchester Police Assistant Constable Chris Skykes has said to the Manchester Evening News that the two events “came on us really quickly.” Responding to the ill-fated raves on their official Twitter account, @gmpolice, Greater Manchester Police have shared a link to a Statement in relation to gatherings across Greater Manchester last night. Establishing “these raves were illegal and I condemn them taking place – they were clearly a breach of Coronavirus legislation and guidelines, and have had tragic consequences,” Sykes proceeds to outline the present strain put upon Manchester Police in the current lockdown.

#Statement from Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes in relation to the raves the took place in #Carrington and #Oldham last night…https://t.co/yxqWf2Gjlj pic.twitter.com/pvwQGrUKsv

— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 14, 2020

“The gatherings were carefully monitored by officers but, like all forces,” he said, “we needed to balance the present public health emergency and our overall demand with ongoing incidents.” He was disheartened, also, by the violence with which “officers attempting to engage with participants of this gathering were met,” adding that “this is absolutely not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Our officers are working incredibly hard to keep people safe and should never be met with inexcusable violence whilst carrying out their duties.”

The statement ends with the Assistant Constable’s assertion that “our top priority will always be the safety of the public, who we are here to serve and protect,” and that the coronavirus is still a threat.

Thousands of people attended the party in a former Royal Mail delivery office in East Croydon on Saturday night (14th June) at which it has been reported that 15-year-old Rio Andrew was taken to hospital in the early hours of Sunday and died on Monday.

The young man who is now down to 9 fingers, known so far only as Josh, told VICE that he lost half of his little finger after a fire alarm went off in the room playing house music. “The fire alarm starting going off and everyone was like, “Rip it off! Rip it off!” So I thought I’d give it a go,” he said. “I was completely sober at the time. I jumped up, grabbed it and my little finger got caught in the case because it was all broken, and as I came to rip it back down, my little finger got ripped off completely.”

A number of arrests were made in relation to the rave – nine during the event and a further five since it ended on Sunday. Of the 14 arrests, two men have been charged with violent disorder and drugs offences. Other arrests made include charges of possessions of class A drugs, money laundering, violent disorder and criminal damage.