Eamonn Bridger from Suffolk Police talks the challenges faced by officers and increased pressures after several high-profile incidents

Police have faced an ‘exceptional period of demand’ but have been able to cope after a series of high-profile cases, including three suspected murders, a chief has said.

Assistant chief constable Eamonn Bridger, from Suffolk Police, said officers across the county have been facing high demand, with officers working increased hours and a change to working patterns.

They have recently dealt with several major incidents including the murders of Anita Rose in Brantham and Courtney Mitchell in Ipswich, as well as the death of Charlie Greaves in a Felixstowe house.

In addition, there was a suspected arson in Ipswich and a knife-point robbery in Felixstowe.

Mr Bridger said these resulted in the police having to ‘surge’ resources to deal with them.

This is ‘well-rehearsed’ and is often a seamless transition, he said, although it has not allowed officers the chance to focus on public engagement as they otherwise would.

Each incident was assessed on its own merits and, where appropriate, it could lead to increased patrols, house-to-house searches, trawling for witnesses and more.

Suffolk Police’s partnership with Norfolk Police also allows for a collaboration of resources, Mr Bridger said.

However, despite the extra strain on resources, Mr Bridger said the force was well-equipped to deal with incidents and wanted to reassure the public that investigations into other crimes were not being neglected.

Mr Bridger said: “There has clearly been an exceptional period of demand over a number of weeks.

“We do see peaks and troughs, major crimes and other serious incidents, such as policing demand around riots, these are infrequent and we have well-rehearsed plans for how we step into these.

“It’s fair to say we’ve enacted most if not all of our policies into these plans over this period, but we have the right specialists, both in terms of crime and the public order incidents we’re supporting. Our workforce has given it their all.”

Mr Bridger said they were coming to the end of these measures as investigations continue, with a view to returning to typical police responsibilities.

He said officers would continue to work tirelessly to bring all culprits of these crimes to justice and that investigations into these crimes would not be downscaled.

“We will be visible where we need to be and deliver standard policing services,” Mr Bridger added.

“However, the public can be confident that all other crimes and community issues will be dealt with.”