‘Eye in the sky’ gets night vision
Blimp will be able to keep watch over T in the park revellers, even after darkness falls
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A bird’s-eye view of revellers at T in the Park will continue after dark for the first time.
Night vision cameras have been installed on the “eye in the sky” hot air blimp which will be used at next week’s festival.
The giant balloon was introduced at last year’s event to provide police with aerial views of traffic.
Additional CCTV will be used on the ground, along with an increase in police officers and festival stewards.
Officers will also be assigned their own beats at the Balado venue.
Thousands of music fans will descend on the festival site, near Kinross, when T in the Park returns from July 10 to 12.
Chief Superintendent Craig Suttie said he was looking forward to taking charge of policing the event.
He said: ‘‘T in the Park is a huge summer highlight for tens of thousands of people and that is no different for those of us tasked with policing the festival.
‘‘The weekend itself is the culmination of many months of preparation. Almost as soon as the last tent peg is pulled from the ground, the planning team set to work preparing next year’s event.
‘‘While the weekend’s scale, stature and quality is testimony to the hard work that goes into providing a festival of this scale, the crowds who create that one big community also have a crucial role to play in its success.”
He said T in the Park had enjoyed a tremendous safety record throughout its 15-year history.
Event manager Colin Rodger said organisers had always worked closely with emergency and security services to ensure the highest levels of safety at the festival.
He added: “This is something that we build upon each year and, for 2009, we have introduced additional new on-site security measures.
“These include community patrolling of campsite, so that the festival’s community spirit continues to flourish.”
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