According to police, over the past week there has been an increase in the number of crimes at a former RAF that is expected to space out asylum seekers.
The incidents, between 30 January and 4 February, include reports of assaults, demonstrators being forced to leave by masked men, and a Dambusters flag being burnt, according to the Lincolnshire force.
The incidents have been reported in areas where multiple protest camps have been set up at different entrances around the perimeter of the RAF Scampton site.
The government plans to house up to 2,000 asylum seekers near Lincoln, a move that has faced opposition from locals, politicians and historians.
Authorities said a Dambusters flag was set on fire between noon and 1 p. m. Last Tuesday.
Authorities also said they had received a tip that an organization of other people dressed in masks had arrived at the protest camps and forced those there to leave without their belongings in the early hours of last Saturday.
And the force said there were multiple reports of assaults on Sunday.
Lincolnshire Police said: “It is suspected that the incidents reported to us which required an increased police presence affected a minority of protesters, many of whom are believed to have come from outside the county. “
Officers have appealed to anyone driving on any of the nearby roads or those who captured any footage of the reported incidents to get in touch.
Read more: ‘Claustrophobic’ barge for asylum seekers threatens to violate human rights Smuggler who pushed himself into car dashboard jailed
The airfield, which closed in 2022, is the former home of the Red Arrows and Dambusters aerobatic team, the squadron that led one of the most prominent air raids of World War II.
The officers’ mess bestowed prestige on a listed building throughout historic England in October, acknowledging the architectural and ancient importance of the structure.
This means that there are stricter controls on the adjustments that can be made to it, while the Ministry of the Interior assures that the “heritage assets” of the former base will be safeguarded.
Lincolnshire Police said it would continue to patrol the area.