Police Statement on Oasis Fans Storming Heaton Park Fences Without Tickets

A number of fans tried to climb over barriers and rush fences to get into the Oasis gigs at Heaton Park. One fan was detained outside an entrance. A senior police officer has praised the behaviour of the 160,000 people who attended the first two Oasis homecoming gigs at Heaton Park after the security operation around the first weekend of concerts resulted in 15 arrests.

Some six suspects were arrested around the first gig on Friday night, most of them for being drunk and disorderly, but police also intervened when drone pilots were caught attempting to launch their aircraft in 'restricted air space'. Five drones were seized.

Nine more were arrested at last night's second concert - each event attracting a crowd of 80,000. Most were held on suspicion of fraud after attempting to gain entry to the gig with fake accreditation. Security staff have struggled to prevent scores of ticketless fans rushing the gates or climbing the perimeter fencing to watch the gigs.

GMP said of those detained, three were arrested on suspicion of assault, one of them a serious 'section 18' assault inside the venue while another was held for a less serious assault outside. One suspect was held after a member of security staff was attacked, Greater Manchester Police said in an update.

The policing operation mounted by GMP for the gigs has been similar to operations for big football matches. It will be repeated for the remaining three Oasis concerts at Heaton Park on Wednesday, Saturday and next Sunday. So-called 'section 47' dispersal orders have been in place for the first two concerts which gives police powers to order people to leave the area and arrest them if they refuse.

'A number of people tried to gain entry.' Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle said: 'We have been planning for these events for several months, working with partners and the organisers to make sure everyone can enjoy the concerts safely. To that end, I’m pleased to say that the first two Oasis homecoming events have been a success. What has been especially pleasing is how more than 100,000 people have enjoyed these iconic events safely and without trouble. We will have a highly visible presence in and around Heaton Park, and across the city, to ensure the next three events continue to pass safely. A number of people without tickets attempted to gain entry through a perimeter gate on Saturday night but failed to do so. We continue to support the event organisers and the local authority with their plans preventing any unauthorised access to the arena site.'

'While arrests have thankfully been minimal, we have had to take some suspects to custody, including one after an alleged assault on a steward on Saturday night. We will not tolerate any abuse of anyone doing their job. On Friday night we also dealt with a number of breaches of airspace restrictions involving drones where our officers seized five drones and spoke to two other pilots. 'We continue to have airspace restrictions in place on the nights of the concerts and anyone found breaching the one-and-a-half-mile restriction zone could face prosecution.'