6000 cops a day to keep Greta & pals at bay
Climate summit will be biggest ever police event
World leaders arriving ving for the UN climate ate change summit will be protected by 6000 000 police officers each ach day.
Pol ice Scotland will l draft in the record number ber of frontline staff amid the tightest security ty measures ever enforced.
The COP26 conference ce will be held in Glasgow over 12 days in November.
At least 2000 officerss will be on duty during each eight-hour shift to manage the influx of protesters expected to arrive in the city – including Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion.
It is estimated that more than 20,000 officers will be needed for the event at the Scottish Event Campus . Usually just 5595 officers are available for the whole of the city throughout a year. The entire force has just over 17,000 officers.
Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone has asked forces across the UK to provide officers for the event, which is expected to cost more than £200million to guard.
David Kennedy, deputy general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), said: “Around 6000 officers will be required each day, which equates to 2000 per shift. This is an exceptional number and will impact on policing across Scotland, which is why officers are be deployed from other forces.”
About 200 heads of government, will be in Glasgow for the event. Talks have taken place between Police Scotland, the Crown Office, the Scottish Prison Service and the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) to look at ways of coping with the expected rise in the number of arrests.
Police believe the summit could attract 500,000 protesters. It is thought Glasgow Sheriff Court and others on the city outskirts could sit at night or weekends to deal with those arrested.
Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins said: “Detailed planning is already well under way with a range of partners for what will be a complex and expensive policing operation.”
Calum Steele, SPF general secretary, added: “COP26 is going to be the biggest policing event that the UK has ever seen.”
An SCTS spokesman said: “We are working closely with Police Scotland to make certain that comprehensive preparations are in place to ensure that any demands on court operations are handled efficiently.”