2,300 police to line route of final journey to Windsor Castle

AROUND 2,300 police officers will line the route of the Queen’s final journey from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle.

More than 3,000 officers from forces outside London will form part of the 10,000-strong team policing the funeral today, which Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy described as the “final and most complex phase” of the operation after the death of the monarch.

Speaking to the PA news agency in the specialist operations room of the capital’s police force yesterday, Mr Cundy said: “This is a policing operation the Met has been planning for a considerable amount of time but today we will enter our final and most complex phase of our policing operation.

“First and foremost, our priority is to ensure a safe and a secure state funeral and processional route, but also safe and secure for everyone who’s attending.

“As part of the route from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, we will have 1,000 police officers alongside military personnel lining the route.

“Those officers will be engaging with the huge crowds that we’re expecting in London and I’d ask anybody, if you are coming to London, to pay your respects and to see Her Majesty the Queen: if you see anything out of the ordinary, if you hear anything suspicious, please speak to one of the thousands of police officers who will be on duty.”

Speaking about the final leg of the procession, he added: “As Her Majesty the Queen takes her final journey across London and then to Windsor, we will have another 1,300 officers as part of that route. We have a well-developed and a wellrehearsed plan with Thames Valley Police and the Surrey Police as Her Majesty the Queen makes her final journey.”