Manchester told to loan its police officers as Trump visits London
EXPECTED PROTESTS AT HOME
GREATER Manchester Police are having to commit officers to help cover increased security and expected protests with the visit of Donald Trump to the UK.
It is understood that the force’s command team are concerned at the scale of resources asked for when the force is already overstretched.
Officers will be mobilised nationally from areas Trump is not visiting, including Greater Manchester and other forces in the north west, the north east, West Midlands, east Midlands and the south west.
It’s not yet known how many officers GMP will deploy.
It comes as GMP saw unprecedented demand from the public at the weekend, with almost 8,500 calls in 48 hours to 999 and 101.
The hot weather, World Cup, and weekend drinking contributed to the surge in calls.
As well as being deployed to locations where President Trump is visiting, GMP officers will also have to police expected protests in Greater Manchester.
Trump is scheduled to visit London, Windsor, and Scotland during a two-day trip.
Firearms officers, armed counter-terrorism units, public order officers and dog handlers are being deployed for the visit.
Regional police chiefs objected to the initial numbers being asked for by the National Police Coordination Centre due to concerns that it would be difficult to maintain safety in their own areas.
A report published in March said GMP fail to attend incidents quickly enough and their initial investigations are not always good enough. Inspectors recently rated the force as ‘requiring improvement.’
The cash-strapped force was downgraded from ‘good,’ despite ‘outstanding’ tackling of organised crime. Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling said at the time of the report, by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, reflected the fact that the force had lost 2,000 officers and 1,000 backroom staff and PCSOs in recent years as demands on the service had risen. He said on Monday: “This past weekend we saw almost 8,500 calls in 48 hours. The hot weather, weekend drinking and the World Cup all played a factor in an increase in calls to us, all of which are set to continue this week with the semi-final on Wednesday. We’re also set for a busy few days at the end of the week with Donald Trump’s visit to the UK.” It is understood that 4,000 officers from other forces in the UK will be mobilised to support Met Police colleagues in areas Trump is visiting. Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling highlights the recent increase in calls to GMP