Extra officers and no annual leave for police for COP26, says chief

THERE will be no annual leave for Police Scotland officers during COP26 as Glasgow residents are promised a “business as usual” service.

Thousands of delegates will arrive in Glasgow in November for the major United Nations conference - a pivotal event in the fight against climate change.

The Queen has confirmed she will attend the conference, and Pope Francis is also reportedly set to visit during the event. Superintendent John Mcbride, who is involved in planning Police Scotland’s response, said the summit is “certainly the biggest event Police Scotland will have dealt with”.

But he added: “We can’t police it to the detriment of business as usual policing.”

During the conference, which runs from November 1 to November 12, officers from across the UK will come to Glasgow for the event, but they will not be involved in day-to-day policing.

Supt Mcbride said: “A significant part of our planning has been to ensure when someone needs the police beyond the conference, they’d get the response they would get just now.

“There is no annual leave allowance for the duration of the event for Police Scotland officers. Anyone who needs time off goes through a robust process.

“While there will be hundreds of police officers around the city centre and event space, it won’t be to the detriment of those folk that live in the outer areas of Glasgow.

“If you live on the periphery of the city and you call the police, you’ll get the police.”

More than 40 per cent of calls to the police’s non-emergency 101 number were abandoned by callers in June - and it took an average of five minutes for calls to be answered.

Cllr Jill Brown said there was a “real risk” that city residents would associate the missed calls with “resources being diverted elsewhere”.

Speaking at a Safe Glasgow Partnership meeting, she said:

“I’m concerned that the average resident of Glasgow won’t know the difference between the policing that’s being provided to COP26 and their call about anti-social behaviour to the 101 line on a Friday evening.”

Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland said a team is working hard to make sure there is “an operating model which provides a suitable and sustainable service during a very challenging period”.