At any major event or festival, safety is a team sport. Local police, private security, and event medical teams all work around the clock with one shared goal: keeping attendees safe.
However, because our roles are different, our rules are different. A question we occasionally encounter—from event organisers, security personnel, police or even concerned attendees—is this: If someone comes to the medical tent intoxicated, why don’t you notify the police or security so they can be evicted from the venue?
The answer comes down to medical ethics, legal obligations, and, above all, patient safety. Here is why our medical teams maintain strict confidentiality regarding individuals who seek care for substance use.
1. The “Fear of Eviction” Puts Lives at Risk
The absolute highest priority of an event medical team is to ensure that anyone who needs help feels safe asking for it.
If attendees know that walking into the medical tent due to heavy intoxication or drug use will result in security intervention, police involvement, or immediate eviction from the event, they will stop coming to us. Instead, they will try to hide their symptoms, retreat to dark corners of the venue, or be left unattended by friends who are terrified of getting their mates kicked out or arrested.
By guaranteeing that the medical tent is a safe, non-punitive space, we ensure that people seek life-saving care early, rather than waiting until a situation becomes a critical medical emergency.
2. Legal Boundaries: Healthcare vs. Enforcement
Medical personnel – whether doctors, nurses, paramedics or first responders – are bound by strict professional ethics and privacy obligations. We cannot use information obtained in the course of health care to be used in an enforcement activity apart from specific mandatory reporting legal obligations.
3. Our Mandate is Clinical, Not Behavioral
Security and police are tasked with maintaining order, enforcing the venue’s code of conduct, and upholding the law. Our team is tasked strictly with clinical care.
When a person enters the medical tent, they are a patient, not a suspect or a rule-breaker. Our job is to monitor their vitals, manage their symptoms, prevent complications, and ensure they recover safely. Using clinical presentations as a tool for administrative eviction compromises our role as neutral healthcare providers.
Are there exceptions?
Sometimes security staff or police officers will detain, evict or arrest a person and bring them to the medical centre before processing them as a welfare check. In these cases, we will still provide confidential and patient centred health services to the person. Once our interaction with the patient is complete, the police officers or security team can continue with their eviction or arrest activity. This is acceptable as it does not involve the medical staff notifying to disclosing information that leads to an enforcement activity.
Summary: Safe Spaces Create Safer Events
When medical teams and law enforcement operate within their proper, distinct boundaries, events run much more smoothly. Security handles behavioral disruptions on the festival floor, while medical handles clinical vulnerabilities in the tent.
Treating the medical tent as a sanctuary isn’t about condoning excessive intoxication or illegal drug use. It is a pragmatic, evidence-based approach to harm reduction. By keeping the lines of communication open and confidential, we keep people alive.
Want to discuss medical services protocols for your upcoming festival? Please contact us for a discussion about your event.