Pride Festival Welcomed Back By Sussex Police - Majority Of Arrests Due To Drink And Drugs

Thursday, 11 August 2022 06:00

Police say Brighton and Hove has 'returned to a sense of normality' after Brighton Pride filled the city for the first time in three years.

Police say around 300,000 people flocked to the city centre last weekend (August 5-7), for Pride events, including Saturday’s parade, the Preston Park event, St James’ Street’s Pride Village Party and many other gatherings across the city.

While Sussex Police provided policing support for the event, officers, staff and volunteers joined the carnival parade and hosted a Sussex Police stand in the park.

Chief Superintendent Jerry Westerman, Gold commander for the policing operation, said:

“It was a pleasure to see Brighton Pride return to the city this weekend after such a long time away.

“A huge amount of work is undertaken well in advance between ourselves, organisers and community partners to ensure the event can proceed safely and with minimal disruption to the wider city.

“I would like to thank everybody who helped make this year’s event a peaceful celebration of diversity, acceptance and inclusivity. All the things that make Brighton and Hove the amazing place it is.

“My thanks also go to all of the Surrey and Sussex Police officers, staff and volunteers who worked so hard in the build-up and during this year’s event to ensure the public were free to celebrate in safety.

“As with any event of this size, officers did make a number of arrests across the city – the vast majority of which related to drug offences and public order offences linked to high levels of intoxication.

“This is similar to previous years’ events and thankfully the weekend passed without major incident.

“We will continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe all year round, no matter who you are, what you believe or how you look.”

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