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Police hailed success at Silverstone Grand Prix
| Author: Northants Police | Published: 9th July 2024 11:53 |
The four-day policing operation at Silverstone has been hailed a success as record crowds descended on Northamptonshire for the 2024 British Grand Prix.
Around 480,000 people visited the circuit for the UK’s largest sporting event, with more than 160,000 spectators in attendance yesterday (Sunday, July 7 2024) to watch Lewis Hamilton go through the chequered flag first.
To ensure everyone enjoyed a crime-free and safe experience during their visit to the county, Northamptonshire Police delivered a robust policing operation, which included the deployment of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) for the second year running.
Uniformed officers and detectives patrolled the vast circuit, campsites, and surrounding road network with the support of colleagues from Thames Valley Police and the Northamptonshire and Thames Valley Special Constabulary.
There was also a high-visibility presence from specialist resources including armed officers, dog search teams, roads policing and Safer Roads teams, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) units and South Wales Police’s LFR team.
Alongside that, many people worked hard behind the scenes providing vital support to the operation, including the event organisers at Silverstone, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, East Midlands Ambulance Service and the Highways Agency.
Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Tompkins, tactical commander for the second year running, thanked police colleagues who supported the huge four-day operation.
He said: “Almost half a million people attended the event and our priority was to keep the public safe and ensure they had an enjoyable, crime-free visit to our county.
“There were some challenges again this year, including the very adverse weather on Friday evening and potential issues with the result-critical England-Switzerland game, but that passed off peacefully.
“A huge amount of planning goes into ensuring the British Grand Prix is a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone and we will soon start the planning for next year’s event.”
DCS Tompkins said a total of 25 crimes, including theft, assault and drugs possession were reported over the entire event, with 14 arrests made.
He added: “It was an extremely busy four days due to the sheer volume of people on site, however it has been a successful and positive policing operation, with only a handful of incidents requiring police intervention.
“Planning for this event involves people from various organisations, however it wouldn’t have been a success without the support of the public, who provided us with 480,000 extra pairs of eyes and ears over the four days.
“I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the smooth running of the operation and helped to ensure the safety and security of racegoers, campers, staff, and contractors, as well as residents and road users.
“It is a real team effort, and we could not achieve this without the support from Thames Valley Police, South Wales Police, and of course our East Midlands regional colleagues along with Silverstone, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, East Midlands Ambulance Service, Highways Agency, local authorities, and others.”
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