Officers also seized sound equipment and three stolen bikes, and arrested a wanted man
Police shut down a 100-strong illegal rave at an abandoned Argos store in East London last week. The Met Police received reports of noise disturbance from the site on Sandringham Road, Dalston, throughout the early hours of Sunday, May 10.
Complaints came from as far as two streets away and were still being made at around 8am in the morning, with police estimating around 100 people were at the event.
Officers from Stoke Newington Police Station attended the site at around 11.40am, and around 20 remaining people were ordered to leave under Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
Police used the same powers to seize sound equipment from the building. They also recovered three stolen bikes, a suspected stolen Blue Badge and arrested a man who failed to appear in court over an offensive weapon charge.
A group of squatters who had taken residence in the building were permitted to stay under squatters’ rights.
Inspector Rob Lamb said: “The deployment resulted in 20 people being asked to leave the UME site within the building as well as a large quantity of sound equipment being seized.
“We also arrested a male who was wanted by Westminster Magistrates Court for an offensive weapon offence where he had failed to attend court, recovered 3 stolen cycles, which we hope to restore to their owners today as well as a suspected stolen Blue Badge.
“We recognise that several persons at this venue are protected by ‘Squatters Rights’ – those persons remain at the venue lawfully and were not part of the group asked to leave attending the UME. They remain at this venue. Whilst on scene, residents approached our officers and personally thanked them for the response we provided.”
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