As thousands of revellers prepare to descend on the famous Berkshire racecourse, Thames Valley police force have begun to ramp-up their security within the area.

Following the drop off of numbers over the last two years, the amount of visitors are said to be back to pre-pandemic level at around 250,000 throughout the five day event.

Police have said that residents and visitors can expect to start seeing more visible policing over the next few weeks.

Working alongside Ascot Racecourse Limited and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, their goal is to ensure the safety of all those attending among the celebration and excitement.

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Superintendent Rory Freeman, Tactical Commander for the policing of the event, said: “The atmosphere of the prestigious Royal Ascot event is always one of excitement and celebration.

“Over the coming weeks you will see more officers in the area and a number of our search teams carrying out their wide-reaching checks and searches. Whilst we haven’t seen many events of this size over the last few years, please be reassured that this is entirely normal, and officers will be happy to stop and speak with you.

“If you plan to be in Ascot during the event period, you will see many of our officers from a number of teams including mounted, firearms and roads policing as well as many out patrolling on foot. Many of our security measures will not be as obvious such as our drone unit who will be keeping a watchful eye over proceedings but please be reassured that all of our officers and additional measures are in place to keep you safe.

“Whilst we have many officers in the area, you will always have a unique perspective from what you can see and hear first hand. I encourage you to call out inappropriate behaviour of friends against women and girls and report it.

Please remain vigilant for anything that seems suspicious. If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t so please tell an officer or a member of racecourse staff so that we can look into it.

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“On a practical note, as traffic regulations will be in place in Ascot and around the racecourse and public transport will be busy, please ensure you allow enough time to get to the races.

"Think about the number of items you are bringing to the event and clear out your bags and pockets in advance to assist with searches and ensure you are through security checks in time for the first race!"