Extra police on hand for Wold Cup in Bognor

Extra police officers are being used to ensure the World Cup is enjoyed in safety by Bognor Regis football fans.

The additional resources will be deployed throughout the month-long tournament in South Africa from June 11.

But special attention is being paid to England's matches because of their potential as the biggest flashpoints for trouble.

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Inspector John Merrick, of Bognor police station, said: "We have put extensive planning into policing the World Cup.

"I have plotted the path of England right the way through to the final to ensure we have put the resources in place when they are needed the most.

"Our intention is to enable everyone to have a good time.

"The World Cup is a tremendous occasion and it can bring the whole country together.

"But we have to prepare for the fact there will be extra people out and about and more drinking than usual going on.

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"The more drinking there is, unfortunately, the more scope exists for trouble and the more police resources are needed."

Insp Merrick's preparations for the World Cup began in mid-April. He compiled a chart of all its games and every fixture permutation which involved England.

Next came a letter to every licensee around the town seeking their intentions of covering the tournament.

"We have gently reminded them of their responsibilities and also asked them about their plans for the World Cup.

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"It's on terrestrial television so every pub will be able to show the games and I've sought to find out whether they will be bringing in big screen TVs to attract people in.

"We have been filtering the answers as they come in so we can allocate our resources in the most appropriate places," he said.

"We had done similar planning for the 2006 World Cup and that was a good tournament for lack of incidents as far as we were concerned.

"I think the last one in which there was significant trouble here was in 1990."

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An extra three sergeants and 15 PCs will be on duty for the tournament across the South Downs division. Insp Merrick expected most of those would be deployed around Bognor because of its number of pubs and clubs to boost the usual police presence.

There will also be a back-up squad available of an inspector, two sergeants and 18 constables should the need arise for even more officers on the streets and seafront.

The ban on drinking alcohol in public places will remain in place during the World Cup.

New to this tournament will be the presence of the Arun Angels volunteers.

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Insp Merrick has asked them to alter their usual patrolling hours from 9.30pm on Saturdays to provide a calming and caring influence to take account of the football matches' earlier kick-offs.

"I am hopeful they will be extending their duties into the early evenings," he said.

"It's very useful for us to have their presence along the seafront and in the town centre."

But he also assured residents this extra work would not undermine the police's usual patrols.

"We will be out and about and responding to incidents as normal," he stressed.

"It is not a case of policing the World Cup at the expense of anything else."