Less than one month to go until Formula 1 comes to Silverstone

It’s less than one month until the country’s largest sporting event – the Formula 1 Lenovo British Grand Prix, comes to Silverstone, and the policing operation for the race weekend is well underway.

This year, the event will take place on the weekend of 30 June –3 July and Northamptonshire Police has, as always, been closely involved in the planning process to ensure racegoers have a safe and enjoyable experience.

Last year’s race saw over 300,000 people enjoying a safe weekend with an extremely wide-ranging policing operation.

As well as uniformed and plain-clothed police officers patrolling the circuit, the campsites and the surrounding road network, specialist officers were also in attendance including armed officers, search teams, disruption officers and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) units.

This year’s event, which is already sold out, will be no different, with officers out in force inside and outside the circuit throughout the weekend to ensure those attending the event, as well as local people, are kept safe and have access to support and advice.

The Event Commander for Northamptonshire Police - Chief Inspector Tom Thompson, said: “We spend many months preparing for the Formula 1 at Silverstone and though we have done it for many years now, the same meticulous planning and ‘no stone unturned approach’ still takes place – we simply cannot afford to become complacent. 

“A large number of police officers, PCSOs, police staff, police dogs, specials, specialist vehicles and volunteers will all be on duty throughout the weekend and we are working closely with Silverstone Circuit and our partners to ensure that anyone looking to commit a crime over the race weekend doesn’t succeed.

“The event is already sold out so I would advise against anyone turning up on the day and I would also ask Formula 1 fans to be aware of people selling counterfeit tickets.

“Finally, for security reasons, people entering the circuit may be subject to extra searches of their bags and their person.

“The public can also help us keep the event safe by being vigilant for anyone or anything which looks out of place or suspicious and reporting it to us. We would rather receive a well-meaning report that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not being told at all.”

Over the next few weeks, you can stay up-to-date on police preparations for the Formula 1 at Silverstone by following @NorthantsPolice on Twitter or by ‘liking’ Northamptonshire Police on Facebook.

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