Residents in east Kent will see an increased police presence over this week as the Royal St George’s Golf Club hosts The 149th Open.
The Championship, which involves players from all over the world competing for the Claret Jug, began at the Royal St George’s Golf Course in Sandwich yesterday (July 11) and runs to July 18.
The event is included in the government’s Event Research Programme, enabling The Open to take place with higher capacities than the current Covid-19 step three guidance.
This means crowds of up to 32,000 are expected on each of the Championship days from 15 to 18 July with less expected on the practice days from 11 to 14 July.
Kent Police say officers have been working hard to ensure the public and players are kept safe during the Championship and any impact on the local community is kept to a minimum.
Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Faulconbridge said: “The Open is the biggest sporting event hosted in Kent this year and we want everyone to enjoy the week.
“This has been several years in the planning, with last year’s event being cancelled due to the pandemic but we have been constantly working behind the scenes with the event organisers and local partners to ensure the event is successful but also minimises any disruption to the local community.
“We will have a large number of trained and specialist officers at The Open with a great deal of experience of policing an event of this nature and size to ensure it is successful and the public are kept safe.”
For more information about the event, including travel information visit www.dover.gov.uk/theopen and www.visitkent.co.uk/whats-on/the-149th-open and follow #OpenTravel and #TheOpen on Twitter.
