Police urge Chester racegoers to be on ‘best behaviour as season gets underway

More than 55,000 visitors are expected to descend on Chester this week for the first race meeting of the year.

The season gets underway with the flagship Boodles May Festival on Wednesday and police are urging racegoers to be on their best behaviour.

The three day main event kick starts on Wednesday, 10 May and visitors will see an increased police presence with officers on hand to ensure everyone enjoys the event safely.

Those attending are being reminded to drink in moderation, keep belongings safe and secure to deter pickpockets and to make sure they have a safe route home when leaving the racecourse.

Chief Inspector Richard Rees, who’s in charge of policing the event, said:

The races are always a fantastic occasion for Chester, attracting crowds of people from all over the country. Ultimately, we want people to enjoy themselves safely, making it a memorable occasion for all the right reasons and racegoers can help play their part in making sure we achieve this.

To all those heading to the races I would strongly advise you to drink responsibily, to make sure you keep any personal belongings with you at all times and to ensure they are protected from would-be thieves.

We will have officers out and about along the routes leading into Chester city centre to help reassure visitors. I would encourage racegoers leaving the event to use a safe route or plan your journey in advance.

The operational work carried out by local officers is part of the force’s county-wide ‘Street Safe’ initiative, which aims to protect communities from anti-social behaviour and public space violence.

Chief Inspector Rees added:

While the majority of visitors will enjoy the event, in the interests of public safety, we will take a firm stance against those who jeopardise this through drunken, violent or anti-social behaviour.

Police are also reminding people to make use of portable toilets which will be situated available to use in the city centre.

Urinating in public is a criminal offence and anyone believed to have committed this offence will be dealt with by officers.

Anyone who has any concerns around anti-social behaviour or public disorder is asked to contact Cheshire Police on 101. In an emergency please call 999.

To follow the work officers carry out to protect communities from anti-social behaviour and public space violence under the ‘Street Safe’ initiative follow @CheshirePolice and the local policing accounts or #streetsafe