Police identify organiser of illegal rave at University of Portsmouth halls - and they may issue a £10,000 fine

Police were called to break up a part of more than 50 people at Margaret Rule Halls, in Isambard Brunel Road at 12.46am today.

Officers were then called back two hours later – after reports of around 40 people continuing to party in the street.

As officers arrived to impose a Section 34 dispersal order, the crowd were caught on camera scrambling to flee the area – with footage of the disorder posted online by The Sun and sparking widespread outrage across the city.

Now, the police believe they have found the organiser of the illegal rave – and they are reviewing body-worn video footage and working with the University of Portsmouth to identify those who attended.

Inspector Marcus Kennedy from Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘The vast majority of people in Portsmouth have complied with regulations in order to limit the spread of infection, and we do not underestimate how difficult that has been for everyone.

‘It is frustrating then that we have had to deal with such a clear breach of the current restrictions. Restrictions on large gatherings have been in place for some time, so there is no excuse for this type of behaviour.

‘I would like to remind people that officers have the power to issue £10,000 fines to the organisers of large gatherings, and people attending can be fined £200 for a first offence.

‘Everyone has to do their bit to limit the spread of the virus. Our approach has always been to engage, explain and encourage people to act responsibly, but we won’t hesitate to use enforcement action where necessary.’

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Officers and the university are considering what action to take against the organiser of the party, which has left the vice-chancellor ‘angry and disappointed’.

Professor Graham Galbraith said: ‘I am angry and disappointed that this has happened.

‘I know that the vast majority of students are compiling with Covid laws, acting responsibly and doing their bit to keep themselves, each other and the community safe.‘Such behaviour is unacceptable and I want to be clear that any student found to have broken the laws in place will face swift disciplinary action by the university as well as any fines that may be issued by the police.’

The rave came as The News revealed the university was battling a wave of infections, with 155 having tested positive for Covid-19.

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