Some 63 crimes were booked on over the weekend of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
This was a higher total than in previous years, say police, but the motorsport showpiece is still classed as a very low-crime vent when you consider that more than 200,000 spectators passed through the Silverstone gates over the three days of the Formula 1 meeting.
The vast majority of crimes were thefts from the campsites – 40 thefts were reported, where thieves in the main slashed open tents to grab cash and valuables that were at hand.
Another 13 thefts were reported by people who were out and about and who were either pickpocketed or who had items stolen from unattended bags. The remaining ten crimes were booked on as public order offences and assaults.
Six arrests were made over the weekend including one person for stealing from trade stands, one for an assault on a security guard and one for being in possession of a bladed instrument. The other arrests were for public order offences.
Detective Constable Dave Adams, who was part of the crime operation at the British Grand Prix, said: “We did experience problems with criminals who had travelled down and took the opportunity to slash tents and steal valuables.
“But overall, the level of crime was again very low for a massive event because it is the equivalent of policing a small town.
“The crime figures compare very favourably to recent major events at Donington Park and Glastonbury, where a greater number of crimes were reported.
“We were focusing on the activities of the ticket touts and a lot of tickets were seized by stewards, especially on the day of the Grand Prix.
“We’d sent out letters to touts before the Grand Prix warning them to stay away as we would be on their case.
“Our Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) team stopped a Manchester tout who was coming up to Silverstone from an Iron Maiden concert in London.
“He said he’d received one of our letters but thought it was nothing more than empty words. As soon as he knew we meant business he quickly went on his way, without stopping at Silverstone!”
