Twenty-five people were arrested as hundreds of thousands of people celebrated Brighton Pride at the weekend, Sussex Police said today (Monday 4 August).
Eight people were held on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and six were detained on suspicion of having class A drugs with intent to supply.
Six people were arrested on suspicion of assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH) and four others were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.
Drugs raids were carried in the lead up to the Pride weekend to try to disrupt supply lines.
Sussex Police said: “A policing operation to support the safe delivery of Brighton and Hove Pride has concluded, with officers working alongside partners to help hundreds of thousands of people enjoy the weekend safely.
“The annual celebration saw large crowds attend events across the city, including during the Pride Community Parade, Pride on the Park and the Pride Street Party, with visitors coming together to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion.
“Throughout the weekend, officers were deployed across Brighton and Hove alongside colleagues from partner agencies, providing a constant reassuring presence, responding to incidents and working to keep communities, residents and visitors safe.
“The vast majority of people attending Brighton and Hove Pride enjoyed the weekend safely.
“Officers responded to a small number of incidents, with 25 people arrested during the policing operation.
“The most common offences dealt with included eight arrests on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, six arrests on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, six arrests on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and four arrests on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.
“Ahead of the weekend, officers also carried out proactive warrants to disrupt suspected drug supply networks and target drug-related offending.”
Chief Superintendent James Collis said: “I would firstly like to thank everyone who attended Brighton and Hove Pride and helped make this weekend such a success.
“An operation of this scale requires months of planning and close partnership working and I am incredibly grateful to everyone involved, including our officers, police staff, volunteers as well as partner agencies and the event organisers whose dedication helped ensure the event was delivered safely.
“While our priority was to keep people safe and support this fantastic celebration, our officers also continued to respond to incidents and deliver policing across the city throughout the weekend, ensuring our communities remained safe.
“Brighton and Hove Pride is an important event for the city and a celebration of our LGBTQ+ communities.
“We remain committed to working with our partners to ensure it continues to be a safe, welcoming and inclusive celebration for everyone.”
Sussex Police added: “The policing operation has now concluded but anyone with information concerning incidents that happened over the weekend is encouraged to make a report to police.
“You can do this online or by calling 101. In an emergency, always dial 999.”
Thank youx Sussex police for keeping us safe
More arrests than at the Unite the kingdom march!