POLICE are hailing the success of the extra patrols that helped the city get ready for Christmas safely and stopped rising violence on ‘Mad Friday’.
On the weekend before Christmas, hundreds of extra visitors and shoppers flocked to Chester city centre to grab their last minute presents and enjoy a night out to welcome in the festive season.
And on the busiest weekend of the year, dubbed ‘Mad Friday’, police were out in force to help curtail drink-related violence and anti-social behaviour in an attempt to keep the city safe from mindless crime.
In the hours between Friday, December 21, and Saturday, December 22, city centre police arrested 17 people for drink-related offences and say they helped to stop ‘developing situations’ by their increased presence in the city.
Over the weekend 18 people were reported for urinating in public, who will be summonsed to court on a later date, as well as:
Nine people for being drunk and disorderly
Three people for public order matters
Three people for assaults
Two people for possession of drugs
And nine people were issued with Section 27 notices ordering them to leave the city or spend the night in the cells.
Sergeant Andy Burrage said: “The weekend was one of the busiest weekends of the year for Inner officers.
“In response to the anticipated volume of people expected in the city we deployed an increased number of officers who patrolled the city on foot and in vehicles. Our presence on the streets ensured that officers were able to intervene in developing situations quickly before they escalated.
“Where necessary, arrests were made to remove troublemakers from the streets, enabling those who were out to enjoy the Christmas celebrations to do so safely.”
