Police have been handed sweeping powers to order people off the streets around Drumsheds in Tottenham this weekend, as thousands of revellers head to the venue for a large-scale event.
A Section 35 dispersal zone will be in force across the area surrounding the venue and the wider locality from 12pm on Saturday, October 3 until 12pm on Sunday, October 4 — a full 24 hours.
The order gives officers the authority to direct anyone to leave the zone if they believe that person’s presence risks anti-social behaviour, disorder or crime. Anyone told to leave must stay away for the period specified by the officer — up to 48 hours — and refusing to comply without a reasonable excuse is a criminal offence that can lead to arrest.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We thank the community and visitors for their cooperation in helping keep the area safe and enjoyable for everyone.” Officers will be on patrol across the zone for the entire 24-hour period.
What a dispersal zone means in practice
Dispersal zones, introduced under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, are a preventative tool rather than a punishment. An officer who reasonably believes someone’s behaviour has contributed to — or is likely to contribute to — harassment, alarm or distress, or crime and disorder, can order that person to leave the area immediately.
Crucially, no offence needs to have been committed first. The power is designed to let police move people on before trouble starts, and to stop them drifting back: anyone directed to leave can be barred from returning to the zone for up to two days. It is a different power from a Section 60 stop-and-search authorisation — another measure police can deploy when serious violence is feared, as happened after a fatal stabbing on Lloyd Baker Street — which gives officers extra search powers rather than the ability to clear an area.
It is not the first time a dispersal order has been thrown around a major London event. Police deployed similar powers, backed by 400 officers, for the Millwall v West Ham derby at The Den — the first meeting between the clubs in 14 years — and such orders are a regular feature of the Met’s playbook for large-scale gatherings across the capital.
Why Drumsheds needs a 24-hour operation
Drumsheds, the cavernous former warehouse at Meridian Water turned music venue, is one of the biggest indoor event spaces in London, with room for around 15,000 people. Since opening its doors it has become a fixture of the capital’s electronic music scene, hosting marathon sessions that pull in crowds from across London and far beyond.
Events on that scale put inevitable pressure on the surrounding streets. Thousands of people arrive and leave within a compressed window, spilling out onto roads and transport links late at night. Police stress the dispersal zone is a precaution to prevent disruption rather than a response to any specific threat — but the sheer volume of people moving through a residential and industrial area at unsociable hours is exactly the scenario the powers were designed for.
Advice if you’re heading there this weekend
Anyone going to the event should allow plenty of extra time for the journey and expect a highly visible police presence around the venue and nearby transport links. Officers will be stationed across the zone for the full 24 hours, and the Met is asking everyone — including people simply passing through — to cooperate with any directions they are given.
The key point to grasp is that the order covers the streets, not just the venue. Even if you have no intention of going inside, you can still be directed to leave the zone if officers believe your behaviour risks disorder. The safest approach is to keep moving, avoid gathering in large groups on surrounding roads, and follow any instruction promptly and politely — arguing the toss on the pavement will only make things worse.
Public transport is likely to be the easiest way in and out, with the venue served by rail and bus links around Meridian Water and Tottenham Hale. Check your route before you travel, keep valuables out of sight, look out for each other on the way home, and remember that the order stays in force until midday on Sunday — so the journey back matters just as much as the journey there.
The venue sits on the edge of Tottenham, an area that has seen its share of major police operations. Detectives previously investigated a murder in the area that ended with a suspect being extradited from Cyprus to face charges over a 2023 killing.
The Met is expected to review the operation once the 24-hour order expires at midday on Sunday.
