Police accused of using 'unethical' force at rave

Police officers working to shut down an illegal rave at a beauty spot used "unethical" force, one partygoer has told the BBC.

Dorset Police said it arrested 11 people at the event, near East Lulworth, that drew about 2,000 people before being shut down on Sunday evening.

Attendee Zak Hanman, from Swindon, said the event had been "very peaceful" and alleged that police began "attacking" people "when no violence was presented towards them".

Responding to the claims, the police force said it had taken "appropriate and proportionate action" to bring the rave to a "safe conclusion".

But Hanman, who said he does not drink or take drugs and was completely sober at the party, questioned the force's view of events.

"Everyone was just enjoying themselves, but the police... started dragging people to the floor, hitting them, attacking them when no violence was presented towards them," he said.

"The violence they used was unethical, it was unhuman-like and it was just not needed."

While he admitted that he had seen violence towards police officers from partygoers, Hanman said this had only begun in a response to the force's initial aggression.

"Towards the end, yes, people were throwing stuff at them [the police], but that was not until they were hitting people, attacking people," he said.

In one case in particular, he said he had seen officers "hit this guy with a baton, even when he was on the floor".

"Yes, people were taking drugs, yes, people were drunk, but that doesn't mean beat them up," he said.

"Any human in their right mind can see that it was just not called for."

Responding to Hanman's claims, Dorset Police said in a statement: "This event caused significant disruption to local communities and we took appropriate and proportionate action to bring it to safe conclusion.

"While responding to the incident involving a large number of people, our officers came under attack from missiles and faced a violent and hostile reception.

"Violence in our communities and against our officers will not be tolerated."

The force earlier said the illegal rave had first been reported at about 23:45 BST on Saturday with officers working until Sunday evening to shut it down.

It said officers had "faced a violent and hostile reception" and they had come under attack, with objects being thrown at them.

David Sidwick, the Conservative police and crime commissioner for Dorset, said: "It was an illegal music event. The police were absolutely right to do what they did and police this robustly.

"The police would have tried to close it down peacefully. They came under intense assault with bottles and we have at least one offence of an assault on an emergency worker."

He added that the rave could be heard "for miles" and residents got in touch "devastated by the noise and the fact that people were stopping defecating in their front drives".

He said: "I am certain that when it is reviewed we will see that there was a proportionate response."

Officers seized equipment and closed nearby roads while they worked to stop the event, with arrests made for offences including driving while under the influence and assaulting an emergency worker.

The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act gives police the powers to stop vehicles anywhere within five miles (8km) of a rave and turn them away.

It also includes rules targeting gatherings of more than 20 people listening to music at night.