Overview
- Two separate reports of women being inappropriately touched over clothing were made to police on Tuesday, June 23, and officers arrested a 37‑year‑old and a 24‑year‑old after attending both incidents.
- Both men were released on bail with conditions that bar them from entering Dorset while enquiries continue and Dorset Police say the cases are not currently being treated as linked.
- Dorset Police have increased visible patrols and plain‑clothes operations under Project Vigilant and are working with British Transport Police and a Multi Agency Command Centre to deter suspected troublemakers entering the town.
- Officers said the recent heatwave brought large crowds to the seafront and that nitrous oxide use had been taking place on an 'almost industrial scale', leading to large seizures and significant diversion of policing resources.
- Local politicians and the police and crime commissioner have urged people to report suspicious behaviour, and investigators have asked anyone with information or footage from the beach on June 23 to contact Dorset Police.