Text taken from the facebook event page (  http://preview.tinyurl.com/q68b3q )

DROP THE CHARGES PROTEST PICNIC!

You and everyone you know are cordially invited to our splendid Protest Picnic which will take place on Saturday 16th May 2009, on Parkers Piece!!!

WHAT
This Picnic will be in proud support of our community events and in peaceful protest against Cambridgeshire Police's decision to charge organisers of community events for Police services.


For this event you will need:
As many friends and family as you can muster
A picnic blanket
Some refreshments
A persistent sense of humour
A musical instrument, drum, megaphone, other method of making noise
A banner containing some kind relevant ironic slogan (optional)

WHERE
We will meet at 12noon on Saturday 16th May at . . .. Midsummer Common and slowly march through town to congregate on Parkers Piece outside Parkside Police Station where we set up our Picnic and have an afternoon of FUN, and enough NOISE to make them put down their coffee and doughnuts and take notice!


WHY
Community events are essential part of life. They bring people together in celebration, build communities and provide a vital platform for local artists and performers. The Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire, Julie Spence, has recently decided to charge community events for Police services. The bill will often come to thousands of pounds and many events will be unable to continue.

The Police claim they are "following national guidance", but the guidance they are following comes from the Association of Cheif Police Officers (ACPO) - a private company not bound by the Freedom of Information Act and free from all public scrutiny (www.acpo.gov.uk/about_pages/free.html) and a number of other Police Authorities have chosen not to adopt it. Furthermore, it should be noted that no elected officials were involved in the decision making process, no impact assessment was carried out and no event organisers were consulted.

Community events are not for profit organisations run by volunteers and, as they are not underwritten by Councils or private businesses, this decision effectively means the Police are charging members of the public for trying to do their bit for their community!

If the Police insist on private funding from the event organisers then fantastic events such as Strawberry Fair, Pink Picnic, Gwydir St Party, Mill Rd Winter Fair and Pop in the Park and other regional events could easily cease to exist.

The Police Force is a Public Body funded by OUR TAXES thus allowing them to also serve the community - they are NOT a private, profit orientated security firm so why are they acting like one???

They insist that these FREE events must policed properly and if they are not then the events cannot go ahead. This is all well and good but to then refuse to police them unless they receive tens of thousands of pounds is completely unacceptable and is akin to Mafia tactics, holding the protection of our community to ransom.

Until now they have cooperated fully with event organisers, adequately policing these events and recognising their importance to our community - WHAT HAS CHANGED?

WE PAY OUR TAXES AND DEMAND THE SUPPORT AND CO-OPERATION OF THE POLICE FORCE THAT WE HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR!

REMEMBER
This MUST be FUN, NOISY and above all PEACEFUL!

See you there!