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UP to 60 additional police officers will be on duty during the Henley Royal Regatta this week.
With around 200,000 people expected to descend on the town over the next five days, Thames Valley Police (TVP) has stepped up extra patrols around the river and in the town centre during the event.
ACC Nicola Ross, who will be in charge of the TVP operation said that the regatta was one of the highlights of the year, and the police will be present to ensure everyone has a good time.
She said: “People come to Henley to enjoy the rowing and the atmosphere, and we’re always happy to welcome them into our town around the regatta. It’s one of the highlights of the year for Henley, and our role is to keep disruption to a minimum and to make sure that anti-social behaviour doesn’t prevent our visitors and residents from having a good experience.”
olice will confiscate alcohol from people found drinking in the street and will use section 35 powers to remove people from an area for 48 hours if they are causing a nuisance.
Chief Inspector Graham Hadley has urged visitors to drink responsibly and to carefully consider how much alcohol they bring with them to the event.
He said: “In previous years, a lot of the public order offences have, unfortunately, been alcohol-related and I’d like to make people aware that we can, and we will, confiscate alcohol from anyone found drinking in the streets.
“We do not want people to bring vast amounts of alcohol with them, and we can confiscate large amounts of alcohol. ”
Last year, 35 arrests were made in the town during the regatta, compared with 15 in 2014 and 26 in 2013. The majority of offences were public order offences and were relatively minor offences.
In the run-up to the event, TVP has worked with councils on both sides of the river, in addition to licensees, other emergency services, and transport agencies.
All venues on the Berkshire Bank close at midnight, while Henley town centre has two night clubs which stay open after midnight. Some public houses will also remain open, and are managed by security.
The number of officers on duty in Henley during the Regatta will vary over the five days. At its height on Saturday evening there will be 60 officers deployed when the town is at its busiest.
CI Hadley also advised people visiting and living in Henley over the regatta period to “be prepared for traffic and some congestion.”
He said: “As always, we’d advise drivers to check their vehicles prior to leaving for the regatta, and to carefully follow the appropriate signs to the allocated car park.”
Owners of illegally parked vehicles in the area could face a penalty notice, and their vehicle could be removed.
There are no road closures for the event but there is a one way system that operates from 8am until midnight around Remenham. This system changes direction at 4pm, and it feeds into the official car parks.
ACC Ross added: “Ultimately, Henley Royal Regatta is a fantastic event which brings visitors from all over the world to our small town. This brings with it its own challenges, but our officers will police the event in a friendly and open manner, with a neighbourhood approach.
“We want people to have a good time and we want to facilitate that while keeping them safe.”
