FORTRESS GLASGOW
Ring of steel built as part of UK’s biggest security operation for climate summit
POLICE have thrown a ring of steel around Glasgow ahead of the arrival of world leaders in the biggest security operation the UK has ever seen.
Mass demonstrations on an unprecedented scale are expected when the city hosts a UN summit on climate change at the end of this month.
Around 200 world leaders and 30,000 delegates are due to attend the 26th Conference of the Parties – known as Cop26 – at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC).
The VIP visitors are expected to include US President Joe Biden and the Queen.
Amid fears of rioting and violent protests, huge security fences – some 10ft tall – are being erected around the SEC as well as nearby sites such as Anderston train station.
Police outriders and three police cars have been spotted practising driving manoeuvres, with the force also carrying out vehicle checks to ‘enhance security’.
Officers have also been pictured checking abandoned cars as well as lifting and sealing drain and manhole covers as they lock down the area.
The summit will be policed by up to 10,000 officers a day, including firearms personnel, dog handlers, mounted police and a dive and marine unit.
Police Scotland deputy chief constable Will Kerr has said officers are prepared to ‘step in’ if Cop26 protests ‘majorly disrupt’ life in the city.
On Scotland Tonight, he said: ‘Glasgow is a city that’s got a proud tradition of protest and welcoming protest, but there has to be a balance and there has to be a bit of common sense applied to this.
‘If the protest is non-disruptive and doesn’t largely affect the working life of the city, that’s fine, I think people will be largely happy with that.
‘The minute it starts to majorly impact or disrupt the life of the city, we’ll step in.
‘We can give an assurance that if the crowd starts to cause damage to commercial or other premises, we have a significant amount of public order resource available to us and if we need to use it, we’ll use it.’
Specialist ‘protest removal’ squads have been training to act decisively against demonstrators who attempt to illegally disrupt the summit.
Senior officers have vowed to quickly abandon a ‘friendly and relaxed’ approach to policing in cases where protesters engage in unlawful civil disobedience.
They warned that behaviour that poses a major risk to public safety or conference proceedings will not be tolerated. Officers have been practising how to free protesters who attach themselves to anything and refuse to move.
Recently, environmental activists have brought some UK motorways to a standstill during rush hour.
Protest group Insulate Britain blocked roads such as the M1 and M25 using ‘lock-on’ devices to attach themselves to objects such as railings or barrels.
Police have had to cut people free using angle grinders. Police Scotland has said it will offer protesters safety glasses and ear defenders before using cutting gear to free them. Officers say they hope demonstrations do not reach this stage but have made it clear they are ready to act if they do.
Mr Kerr has said: ‘As you would expect, we have a range of capabilities, including protest removal teams that carry a range of specialist tools and capabilities, to be able to remove people who have done “lock-ons” very quickly.’
The £100million operation to protect the summit has a bigger police and security presence than the G8 summit at Gleneagles, Perthshire, in 2005. Superintendent Darren Faulds, road policing lead for Cop26, said officers will be assisting with all the ‘road movements’ of visiting VIPs.
He said they would also oversee traffic movement in Glasgow and other areas affected by the sum
‘It’s nothing to be fearful of’
mit. He added: ‘Just now Police Scotland are conducting vehicle checks – one, as information sharing with the public; also to enhance the security of the event and of the site itself. It’s nothing to be fearful
of – it’s business as normal. We’re just being concentrated more on a single area.’
He said people can expect to see an increase in traffic around the SEC as it is the main venue for the event.
Mr Kerr said that there will be additional security measures such as barriers across roads, more cones and signage.
‘We will be looking to utilise automatic number plate recognition systems,’ he said.
‘That allows us to check numerous vehicles at once – understanding the vehicle, where it is from and any offences with it, such as having no insurance.’ Although the two-week event is not due to start until October 31, some roads within the SEC site are already closed, with others closing on Saturday.
The Clydeside Expressway – the main route west by the riverside from Partick Interchange to Anderston – will close from 9pm on Saturday to 6am on November 15.
In addition, Congress Way, Finnieston Quay, Tunnel Street, Stobcross Road (section parallel to A814) and Castlebank Street will be subject to lane restrictions until Saturday, with the full road closure from 9pm on Sunday until 6am on November 21.
Clyde Arc and Lancefield Quay will close at 9pm on Saturday until 6am on November 15. The M8 at Junction 19 will be closed from this Saturday.
Among other measures, Police Scotland has completed the rollout of body-worn video (BWV) cameras for armed officers. The VB400 devices were developed in Scotland.
Assistant chief constable Mark Williams said: ‘The introduction of BWV brings Police Scotland in line with armed officers across the United Kingdom and ensures best practice and evidence gathering, as well as increased transparency and accountability at incidents.’