Man hurt in alleged machete attack in Bournemouth; arrest at asylum hotel

Dorset Police received a report at 12.40pm on Thursday 1 October of a man in possession of a machete in Boscombe Chine Gardens, Bournemouth. 1 2 Police said that during an altercation a man sustained a head injury and was taken to hospital; his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. 1 2 A man was arrested on suspicion of causing attempted grievous bodily harm. 1

The Daily Express reported that officers cordoned off the area near Boscombe beach, that their enquiries led to the nearby Chine Hotel, and that the suspect was seen being led out to a police van; it said the attacker is alleged to have produced a long-bladed weapon and struck the victim over the head. 1 GB News said witnesses saw a suspect taken out of the Home Office-run hotel, and that armed police attended; both outlets say the Chine Hotel is one of three Bournemouth hotels used to house asylum seekers. 2 1 Police said there would be an increased presence in the area while enquiries establish the full circumstances of what happened. 1

Both outlets say the area has seen a rise in crime and anti-social behaviour since the hotel closed to the public and began housing migrants; neither attributes this to a named source. 1 2 GB News added that the arrest came weeks after Home Office figures showed the average hotel cost per asylum seeker at £199 a night as of April, up 37% from £144.98; Home Office Minister Anna Turley said this partly reflected phased closures leaving unoccupied rooms, and 16,021 people were in asylum hotels at the end of June, down from 36,273 at the end of September last year. 2