POLICE chief George Le Page has paid tribute to his officers and the public over what he called an ‘exceptionally busy period’. He said that the launch of a murder inquiry following James Dean’s death in the High Street on Saturday was not the only issue officers had to deal with that evening. There were two other serious incidents.

‘Our officers and support staff have been extremely busy,’ said Mr Le Page.

‘People have been very understanding that we have not been able to respond quite as swiftly to other matters as we would normally do.

‘They have said that they appreciate that we need to give priority to the serious matters of the weekend and they have been generous in making allowances accordingly.’

More than 100 people have contacted the force in connection with the High Street incident.

Mr Le Page also praised his staff for ‘outstanding dedication’.

‘That the Island Police were able to respond swiftly to and deal professionally with each of these serious incidents is testimony to the way in which the organisation pulled together as a team,’ he said.

‘Many officers were recalled to duty and selflessly gave up their leisure time to assist that night.’

Some officers who had completed shifts stayed on. Many worked through the night and some returned to duty after only a few hours’ sleep.

Mr Le Page said that many officers and staff had given time and effort above and beyond the call of duty.

‘It has been a magnificent effort on the part of all involved and I would wish to publicly acknowledge and extend my very sincere appreciation for the dedication of my staff during the last few days.’