Increased police presence in Chester to keep racegoers safe

There will be an increased police presence in Chester this weekend to help keep racegoers and members of the public safe.

With an influx of visitors expected in the city centre due to a fixture at Chester Racecourse, additional police patrols will be deployed.

Police in Chester are working in partnership with Chester Racecourse, who are providing passive drugs dogs to be deployed in the city centre as part of the operation. This is to help combat any criminality to ensure the safety of members of the public and racegoers in Chester, and improve the raceday experience for everyone.

A dispersal order will also be in place from 5pm on Friday 24 May until 5pm on Sunday 26 May. The dispersal order will allow officers to ban anyone from the city for up to 48 hours to prevent disorder.

It has been imposed under Section 34 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, making it an offence for anyone to return to a specific area for up to 48 hours. The area covered by the order is highlighted in the attached mapped area. The map is provided to anyone issued with a direction to leave.

In addition to the dispersal order, there will be a police presence both before and after the race meeting to deal with any anti-social behaviour which may arise.

Inspector James Wilson said:

“This weekend it will be incredibly busy in Chester and while we hope everyone enjoys their time here, we hope they do so safely.

“With this in mind, we are grateful to our partners at Chester Racecourse in providing drugs dogs which will be deployed in the city centre to help keep people safe.

“As well as an increased police presence, there will be a dispersal order in place which serves as an additional tactical option that allows us to directly combat anti-social behaviour head on, before it escalates.”

Anyone with information about anti-social behaviour in their area is urged to contact Cheshire Police via the Cheshire Police website or call 101.

Pictured - Map of the dispersal zone.