Issue 8 – Monday 7 August
Black Band Contraband
Joe MacMahon, V2
On Saturday night, Site Services performed a daring sting operation to catch a Woodcraft Folk Venturer who was illicitly selling official black camp wristbands.
The offender, who it is believed had stolen a box of wristbands from the site information point, was trading them for £2 a piece to under-18s to enable them to gain entry to the Adult Café.
A sting operation was organised to catch the culprit. The wristband dealer was phoned on a mobile number that had been passed around the site in the hope of attracting customers, and an exchange was arranged.
When the unknowing Venturer arrived to make the exchange, they were met by several of the camp organisers, members of the site Services team, and their own village leaders.
The Venturer in question was then asked to leave Global Village.
The wristbands that were being sold by the Venturer came from a box that had gone missing from the information point earlier in the week.
Simon Phillips, Chair of the Global Village Steering Committee, told us in his own words the about the events. “We became aware of the fact that someone was selling wristbands on site. We were given their contact details – a mobile phone number and name. Someone spoke to them on the phone and agreed to meet them. They were met by members of the camp committee and village coordinators.”
Simon also commented on the seriousness of this offence :“This is a child protection issue, this isn’t about getting into the bar or not.”
Since the sting, most of the wristbands have been recovered, and camp organisers have called for a wristband amnesty.
Any contraband black wristbands that are still in circulation should be handed into the info point immediately.
Please remember that the wristbands are for the safety of young people on this camp, so if you are aware of anyone with wristbands that they shouldn’t have, then please report them to the camp organisers.