Police hail F1 weekend 'success' despite arrests

Northamptonshire Police said it made 14 arrests during the four-day event at Silverstone

The policing of this year's British Grand Prix has been hailed as a success, with only 25 crimes reported and 14 arrests made during the four-day event.

Northamptonshire Police said the crimes included theft, assault and drug possession.

A total of about 480,000 people visited Silverstone Circuit during the event, with more than 160,000 in attendance for Sunday's race won by Lewis Hamilton.

Det Ch Supt Richard Tompkins thanked staff and fans for "contributing to the smooth running of the operation".

The force said it was appealing for witnesses to reports of a man "inappropriately touching women" in the main stage area of the circuit between 20:00 and 22:00 BST on Sunday.

It said a 36-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the incident.

'Challenges'

Det Ch Supt Tompkins said: "There were some challenges again this year, including the very adverse weather on Friday evening and potential issues with the result-critical England-Switzerland game, but that passed off peacefully.

"A huge amount of planning goes into ensuring the British Grand Prix is a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, and we will soon start the planning for next year’s event.

"It is a real team effort, and we could not achieve this without the support from Thames Valley Police, South Wales Police and, of course our East Midlands regional colleagues, along with Silverstone, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, East Midlands Ambulance Service, the Highways Agency, local authorities and others."