Festivals face new challenges from legal highs

The boss of Festival Republic, Melvin Benn, has said that so called 'legal highs' present a new challenge for festivals and highlighted the health resources needed to care for people who people affected by them. Benn stressed that increased information sharing had had a positive impact on reducing festival crime, and that at his events (Reading, Leeds and Latitude in the UK) they had seen a reduction in mobile phone thefts. Benn was speaking ahead of the Crime at Major Festivals Conference he will host at Reading's Madejski stadium  on February 27th. Speakers will include a representative from the new National Crime Agency.