Download Festival found to be the UK's safest festival in terms of thefts

Police figures have been revealed

Download Festival crowd
Published 17th Aug 2016

Newly obtained figures have revealed that Download is the safest UK festival in terms of theft.

As revealed by The Times, insurance company have obtained police figures for 15 major summer festivals via a Freedom of Information (FoI) request.

Proof that rock fans are some of the most wholesome people on the block, the likelihood of having something stolen at Download Festival is staggeringly low.

Attendees at the Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Rammstein headlined event this June had only a 1 in 24,000 chance of having one of their possessions robbed.

The chances are worked out by the using the figures of reported thefts against the number of people in attendance.

At the other end of the spectrum, revellers at dance and pop event Wireless Festival held in London’s Finsbury Park had a 1 in 531 chance of being a victim of theft. The items stolen were estimated to have totalled £124,020.

Adam Powell, head of operations at Policy Expert, said: “It’s essential to remember to be vigilant, especially in large crowds.”

“Finally, before you pack up your tent, check the small print in your home insurance policy and check whether it includes away from home cover. And if you do fall victim, tell the police as soon as possible - a crime number is essential to making a claim.”

Starting with the least likely, here are the chances of being a victim of theft at 15 UK festivals:

Download: 1 in 24,000 V Festival: 1 in 10,000 Boardmasters: 1 in 6,000 T in the Park: 1 in 3,400 Glastonbury: 1 in 2,872 Leeds Festival: 1 in 1,818 Latitude: 1 in 1,750 Parklife: 1 in 1,573 We Are Fstvl: 1 in 1,220 Secret Garden Party: 1 in 1,100 Reading Festival: 1 in 880 The Great Escape: 1 in 830 Wilderness: 1 in 769 South West Four: 1 in 640 Wireless: 1 in 531

NOTE: The list does not include figures for other major UK rock events including Bloodstock and Ramblin' Man Fair.​