‘Unprecedented’ surge in 999 calls due to influx of tourists in Devon and Cornwall, police say
'We want people to be able to enjoy the good weather and reopened hospitality sector, but that has to be done responsibly', police say
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Your support makes all the difference.Devon and Cornwall Police has warned of “unprecedented” pressure on emergency services on the southwest coast due to an influx of tourists holidaying in the UK this summer.
The force has saw a 26 per cent increase in 999 callouts last weekend compared with 2019, according to assistant chief constable Jim Colwell.
As the nation began to emerge from its coronavirus lockdown, authorities in coastal regions warned of a surge of arrivals from outside the region threatening to overwhelm local services.
Mr Colwell said the pressure on his force had not relented in the months following. The force received 2,301 emergency calls at the weekend, with anti-social behaviour accounting for many of those.
He said the weekend's events, spurred on by the hot weather, had resulted in an "unprecedented demand" across a "plethora of different incidents".
Matters that required police attention included 31 reports of environmental anti-social behaviour, including disposable barbeques and other rubbish being left behind by people.
Officers said a further 102 reports of anti-social behaviour were "often drink-related" and recorded another 191 reports of people being a "nuisance".
"We want to welcome tourists safely back into our communities and support a restart to our essential tourism economy," Mr Colwell said. "But that needs to be done respectfully by everyone and the levels of ASB recorded over the weekend are unacceptably high.
"We understand people want to enjoy what our region has to offer, but please do this safely and within the law, otherwise police will take proactive enforcement action to protect others.
"August so far has also seen public order crimes up by almost 25% on this time last year.
"Again, we want people to be able to enjoy the good weather and reopened hospitality sector, but that has to be done responsibly - everyone must accept that personal responsibility and play their part."
In August alone, the force said it had taken 9,622 calls, equating to about 962 per day and "significantly up" on the average 718.
The force said Devon and Cornwall was "largely full to current capacity" and visitors should book ahead before travelling.
The South Western Ambulance Service also saw a surge in demand - leading officials to urge the public only to call 999 in the event of a genuine emergency,
Between 7 and 11 August, the trust dealt with 14,340 incidents - an increase of 13 per cent compared to the same period last year.
"In recent days we have experienced a very high level of demand - similar to what would normally be expected between Christmas and New Year," a spokesman said.
Additional reporting by PA