Community comes together following disorder

This afternoon I joined the Chief Constable of Lancashire Police, the Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner, PCs, Blackpool Council representatives, Cllr Mark Smith and others on a walkabout of the town centre. We debriefed on the violent disorder that broke out over the weekend in the town centre and the smaller disruption in South Shore last night.

I met staff from the Winter Gardens, the Tower, the Hounds Hill, including from JD Sports, and other business owners, to hear about what they experienced.

I was pleased to be able to give these people my personal thanks and reassurance and it was great to see them all back to business as usual.

The police continue to have a robust response in place to tackle possible disorder, and they are monitoring information at a local and national level.

People came out to sow the seeds of division and it’s backfired. What we’re seeing instead is the community coming together, a renewed respect for police, and a determination to ensure our town continues to be open and welcoming to all - as it always has been and always will be.