Chief Constable wishes everyone Happy Diwali and for celebrations to go ahead despite a difficult six weeks in East Leicester

This weekend the ‘Festival of Light’ Diwali begins in Leicester and police are expecting in the region of 40,000 people on the streets of East Leicester.

There are a number of messages that police want to get across to people out and about this weekend:

• Setting off fireworks and sparklers in public places is illegal and could result in a fine of up to £5,000 or even a prison sentence
• There will be a No Drone Zone over and around Cossington Park in Belgrave from October 9–10 between 2pm and 2am and October 24–25 at the same time. Illegal use could lead to prosecution and seizure
• An increased police presence will be out and about at events. Report anything suspicious to us on 101 or online. If a crime is in progress or life is in danger call 999

Diwali in Leicester is viewed on a global stage and police are stressing how important it is for the celebration to be a success for all.

Temporary Chief Constable Rob Nixon said: “I want to wish everyone a Happy Diwali. My message to everyone is that we want the celebrations to continue as normal. It is a matter of great importance to me that our communities feel safe as they begin Diwali.

“September has been a challenging month for many of us in Leicester but I am delighted that the Navratri celebrations went well, and we have not let a small minority ruin what is important to us in this great city. This weekend there will be a policing operation in place so you will be seeing a number of officers and resources on the streets engaging with people. We will be deploying our drones to support with capturing crowd movements and aid us to respond quickly to any potential disorder.

“For those that may consider causing trouble in Leicester I would urge you not to get involved. We have a significant number of officers out and they are briefed to take swift action.

“As before I am asking people to please not share rumour or speculation or misinformation as we know it can cause so much harm. We will be continuing to monitor social media channels and correcting fake news where possible but I reiterate my plea to ask people to not share information that they don’t know is true.

“I am very proud of this city and I want people to enjoy the festival of light as we have for many years before.

“Happy Diwali!”