Wiltshire well prepared to quash any World Cup trouble

Wiltshire’s emergency services and the council have been involved in meetings and detailed planning and preparations to ensure that any World Cup related trouble is quashed, allowing people across the county to celebrate England’s involvement in the tournament safely.

Officers from Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire Council Licensing and Trading Standards departments, together with Wiltshire Fire and Rescue officers have been briefing each other to ensure a quick and appropriate response to the wide cross-section of incidents that they could be called upon to deal with.

Licensing teams from the council and police have been working together with the Intelligence Department to identify licensed premises and locations where problems could arise, and local plans are in place to deal swiftly with incidents of disorder and licensing offences.

Letters to all licensed premises, setting out what is expected of them throughout the world cup period have been delivered- by hand wherever possible- to allow greater engagement between neighbourhood officers and licensees.

It has been acknowledged that there could be a rise in domestic assaults over the World Cup period.

The Daily Mail reported that during the last World Cup in 2006 a Home Office report revealed that on England Match days the average increase in domestic violence across all 19 police forces was 25%. The BBC also reported last month that The Association of Chief Police Officers had warned there was a possibility of increased domestic violence during England's World Cup campaign this year. Separate plans have been drawn up in Wiltshire for this World Cup to ensure that the agencies involved in providing support act concertedly to reduce instances of this crime and support victims of domestic related assaults.

Wiltshire Council have put plans in place to ensure that any extra rubbish resulting from World Cup partying is cleared away swiftly from our town centres.

Extra police will be on duty across the county for England matches in order to provide support to communities and to be able to respond quickly to prevent situations escalating and deal with any instances of disorder.

Did you see any trouble in Marlborough on Saturday? Was the Police presence visibly greater than usual?