WILTSHIRE’S top police officer has warned that this summer could be the busiest police have seen for years.
Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said demand currently faced by the force was the tip of the iceberg and economic and mental health pressures could create the perfect storm.
The Government has given the force £477,000 from a £60m fund aimed at helping the police tackle crime as lockdown restrictions are eased. Wiltshire Police says it has a comprehensive summer plan and targeting a potential rise in violent crime is a priority.
Last weekend, it made than 60 arrests – roughly equivalent to the number made over a warm weekend pre-pandemic. They included one man arrested in connection with a knife fight in Ferndale.
Ch Const Pritchard told the Adver: “We’re at the beginning of what is likely to be a very busy summer. I actually think it’s going to be the busiest summer we’ve experienced for some time.”
Already, police have dealt with Kill the Bill demonstrations in Swindon and Wiltshire - with county officers also called in to help police violent scenes following protests in Bristol.
Kier Pritchard, photographed in 2018 Picture: CALYX
Mr Pritchard said: “I think as we go into the summer we’ll see violent crime starting to return in earnest in my opinion. It’s been slightly hidden in terms of private space violence and a rise in domestic abuse, which is horrific.
“I think we’ll start to see some of that creep back into the street. We’ve got very clear plans in place with community safety partners to address that.
“We may see a beginning of violence connected to County Lines and knife-enabled criminality. We’ve seen the start of some of that in Swindon which, again, we’re addressing.
“That’s before we get to the normal events we would see. The Summer Solstice celebrations this year are on June 21. For a gathering of what could be up to 10,000 people this year, the coronavirus legislation to permit the removal of all social restrictions will only come into effect at midnight.
“Our challenge is to proportionately and sensibly police a large gathering that before midnight remains unlawful. We need to find that balance.”
He added: “I think we’re at the tip of the iceberg at the moment.”
Over the past year, crime overall has fallen – with a reported drop of 18 per cent.
But for the police chief, whose career as a detective included stints on the murder squad, the fear is that economic pressures and mental health difficulties sparked by a potential post-pandemic recession will make more people vulnerable to crime.
He said: “I am concerned that we may see the beginning of the perfect storm of all of those issues coming together.”
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