Police are encouraging country music fans to plan ahead and travel safe as they make their way to this year\u2019s Tamworth Country Music Festival.
\nTens of thousands of revellers will descend on Tamworth for 10 days of non-stop music from Friday (16 January 2015).<\/p>\n
A high-visibility police operation will be in place throughout the event, which is the largest music festival in the Southern Hemisphere.<\/p>\n
Operation Commander, Superintendent Jim Stewart, said community safety is the top priority during Tamworth\u2019s largest annual event.
\n\u201cWe see the city\u2019s population almost double during the festival, and we will have plenty of additional police deployed to ensure the festival is safe and fun for everyone,\u201d Supt Stewart said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe festival transforms Tamworth into a giant street party and there are a number of measures in place to keep the city family-friendly.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal Liquor Accord agreements, including the 12.30am lockout, will remain in place during the festival, as well as the alcohol-free zones, which are in place throughout the CBD.\u201d<\/p>\n
Information about these arrangements can be found at: www.tamworth.nsw.gov.au<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAlcohol-Free Zones aim to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour to help create a safer event for every member of the community,\u201d Supt Stewart said.<\/p>\n \u201cMake no mistake, alcohol affects your ability to assess risks, make decisions and behave responsibly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will also have additional Licensing Police in and around licensed venues to target intoxication, alcohol-related crime, anti-social behaviour and under-age drinking.\u201d<\/p>\n Motorists are reminded to plan their trip to Tamworth ahead of time and expect delays.<\/p>\n \u201cThere will be a significant increase in traffic in the area and with a number of road closures in place for the duration of the festival, delays are expected in and around Tamworth,\u201d Supt Stewart said.<\/p>\n \u201cSome areas of the CBD will be restricted to vehicles with appropriate council authorisation, which must be displayed at all times.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere possible, we suggest people use the Festival Express bus service to get around Tamworth, particularly if you are planning to drink.<\/p>\n \u201cHighway Patrol Command officers will be conducting random breath tests and anyone found to be driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be charged.<\/p>\n \u201cIn addition, marked and unmarked cars will be patrolling roads in and around Tamworth, and the main thoroughfares leading into town, targeting speeding and all dangerous driver behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n Visit www.livetraffic.com<\/a> for all road and traffic conditions.<\/p>\n Supt Stewart said by taking a few simple precautions, festival campers can reduce the risk of crime at camping grounds.<\/p>\n \u201cCamping is considered an important part of the Tamworth Country Music Festival experience and we remind festival campers to be mindful of their own safety and security,\u201d Supt Stewart said.<\/p>\n \u201cWith thousands of people in some of these camping areas, we ask everyone to look out for themselves and each other and in an emergency, contact police immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n Tips for campers: \u2022 Where possible, use a lock to secure your tent \u2022 Ensure valuables are not left in unattended vehicles<\/p>\n \u2022 Report any suspicious behaviour to police<\/p>\n Visit the official festival website for more information: www.tcmf.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Police are encouraging country music fans to plan ahead and travel safe as they make their way to this year\u2019s Tamworth Country Music Festival. Tens of thousands of revellers will descend on Tamworth for 10 days of non-stop music from Friday (16 January 2015). A high-visibility police operation will be in place throughout the event, … Continue reading “Music fans urged to plan their trip to the Tamworth Country Music Festival”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,9,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hume","category-tcrn","category-zfm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.onradio.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.onradio.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.onradio.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.onradio.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.onradio.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.onradio.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1536\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.onradio.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.onradio.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.onradio.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022 Plan your trip in advance and if possible, make a booking
\n\u2022 Get to know your surrounding campers
\n\u2022 Leave valuables at home \u2013 if you must take valuables with you, ensure they are secured and kept out of sight ie laptops, iPods, stereos, GPS
\n\u2022 Lock your caravan or campervan when unattended<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Where possible, use a portable alarm in your tent or camper
\n\u2022 Plan for changes to weather conditions<\/p>\n