DESPITE a stern warning from New South Wales Police, 159 people were charged with drug related offences at Sydney’s Listen Out music festival.

More than 34,000 people attended the festival on Saturday in Sydney’s Centennial Park.

Police said 154 people were charged with drug possession, while five were charged with drug supply offences.

“Generally, festival goers were well behaved and enjoyed the event, however there appears to be a small section of the community that continues to possess and deal in illegal substances, despite our warnings,” said Superintendent Karen McCarthy.

NSW Police also said 12 people who received medical treatment at the festival were taken to hospital, seven of those people being hospitalised for “drug related matters”.

Listen Out follows the Defqon.1 music festival, where two people died of suspected drug overdoses.

Police presence at Saturday’s event was high and included drug detection dogs.

“We conduct these operations because the wellbeing and safety of attendees is our number one priority,” Superintendent McCarthy said.

Police Commissioner Michael Fuller had warned there would be a strong police presence at the festival.

“I want everyone to have a good time, but look after yourselves and don’t break the law,” Commissioner Fuller said.

“Anyone thinking of taking drugs, consider this,” he added, “You wouldn’t drink backyard chemicals, why would you swallow them in pill form?”

“We know drug use is claiming young lives, don’t roll that dice.”

The police statement issued in the lead up to the festival said police would also be targeting alcohol-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour, both inside the venue and on public transport.

In addition to those charged with drug offences, three people were charged with resisting arrest, three were charged with assault, four for fail to quit offences and one for offensive behaviour.

Thirty people were arrested for drug possession at the St Kilda leg of the festival on 23 September. Police are also investigating a man who sexually assaulted a woman, in the lead up to Sydney’s festival. Listen Out released a statement on their Facebook page saying “this behaviour is completely unacceptable”.

Following the deaths at Defqon, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian called on the NSW police commissioner, the NSW chief medical officer and the chair of the independent Liquor and Gaming authority to come up with a way to prevent drug related deaths at festivals.

The Australian Medical Association and the NSW Greens have called for the state to trial pill testing at festivals.

Ms Berejiklian has ruled out pill testing as a solution.

“Anyone who is advocating pill testing is giving the green light to drugs — that is absolutely unacceptable. Do not take them … pill testing is not a solution,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Canberra’s Groovin The Moo festival was the first to use pill testing at an Australian festival and ACT Police Chief Justine Saunders called the testing a “great success”.