POLICE attended more than 2,300 incidents across Dorset over the bank holiday weekend as thousands of visitors flooded to the south coast.
Dorset Police said it received around 900 reports each day from Friday, May 29, up to and including Monday, May 31.
The force said this was higher than experienced in recent weeks, however, insisted preparations had allowed them to respond accordingly.
In relation to incidents police officers attended, on Saturday this figure was up 21 per cent on two weeks previous, while the Sunday was up 44 per cent.
Summer policing gold commander Chief Superintendent Mark Callaghan said: “Dorset experienced a fantastic sunny bank holiday weekend and, as we expected, thousands of people travelled to the county to enjoy our beaches and tourist destinations.
“We dealt with a range of incidents in conjunction with our partner agencies and emergency service colleagues, including unauthorised encampments, two fatal collisions, missing person investigations and other offences.
“We have been planning for the demands of the summer for some time and this weekend was no exception as we had the necessary resources in place to deal with the expected rise in demand.
“Our officers and staff worked extended hours this weekend and I would like to thank them for their commitment and professionalism.”
As reported by the Dorset Echo, incidents over the bank holiday weekend included unauthorised encampments, assaults and crashes on the roads.
A Dorset Police spokeswoman said that of the approximately 900 daily reports the force received, officers attended 577 incidents on Friday, 565 on Saturday, 578 on Sunday and 591 on bank holiday Monday.
For comparison, two weeks ago Dorset Police attended 466 on the Saturday and 399 on the Sunday.
Four weeks ago the force attended 507 on the Saturday and 392 on the Sunday.
Police did not provide figures for the Mondays, as this would involve drawing comparisons between a bank holiday Monday and a working weekday
The majority of the other reports to the force over the weekend, approximately 1,300, were sent to the investigation resolution team for contact to be made and, if necessary, appointments to be booked, or were recorded for information and awareness.
Ch Supt Callaghan added: “We would like to reassure the public that we continue planning throughout the summer months and working closely with relevant agencies to help keep residents and visitors safe.”
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