We're sure plenty of punters turned up to Isle Of Wight in the hope of avoiding The Police this weekend. They might have a harder time escaping the actual police, whose massed presence in the streets surrounding the festival site is truly unnerving.

Weirdest of all are the packs of sniffer dogs guarding the shuttle buses going from Ryde ferry-port to the festival site. Cue groups of panicking stoners putting their heads together and deciding that - hey - they might just walk the 10 miles to Newport instead.

It all seems a bit harsh, really. You don't expect to be confronted with resounding proof of The Man's omnipotence while queuing up for a festival. What next - Taser-ing crowd-surfers?