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9,500 police drafted in for Nato summit in Wales 9,500 police drafted in for Nato summit in Wales
(about 4 hours later)
The officer in charge of one of the largest security operations in British history, for the forthcoming Nato summit in Wales, has said the high-profile event is "completely uncharted territory" for UK policing. Nearly 10,000 police officers are being drafted in to cover next month's Nato summit in Wales, an event described by the officer in charge of the security operation as "completely uncharted territory" for UK policing.
Assistant chief constable Chris Armitt, who has been seconded to Gwent police from Merseyside police to oversee the operation, said 9,500 officers from across the UK had been drafted in for the event on 4-5 September. The number of police officers involved in protecting the two-day event, based at the Celtic Manor resort outside Newport and attended by 67 heads of state, who will discuss crises ranging from Ukraine to Iraq, equates to almost 8% of the police strength in England and Wales.
The summit will be based at the Celtic Manor resort outside Newport, but events will also take place in Cardiff, and the 150 visiting dignitaries – including an unprecedented 67 heads of state – will variously stay at hotels in Swansea, Swindon, Bristol, Bath, Gloucester and Cheltenham, as well as Newport and Cardiff. Assistant chief constable Chris Armitt, who has been seconded to Gwent police from Merseyside police to oversee an operation that he has been planning for months, said on Tuesday that protests were anticipated, including "challenging" circmstances in the form of protestors attempting to reach the summit.
Armitt, who has been in the post for eight months, planning the operation, said arrests were expected as a small number of protesters were understood to be planning a march to the Celtic Manor resort, which is surrounded by eight miles (13.5km) of security fencing. "The reality is they will not get to the Celtic Manor, they will encounter the security framework around the summit site. Any attempt to breach that will result in people being arrested because they will be committing acts of damage and they will be committing public order offences."
Speaking at a briefing in London, Armitt said: "We're anticipating some protest activity at this event. The overwhelming majority of that will be lawful, it will be peaceful, we will facilitate it and we are in liaison with a number of groups who have expressed a desire to come and protest either ahead of the summit or indeed on the first day of the summit itself. Of the 9,500 officers being drafted in, 1,500 will be from Gwent and South Wales police and a number will come from Wiltshire, Avon & Somerset and Gloucestershire, which fall under the operational footprint. However, 43 forces in England and Wales, Police Scotland, Police Service of Northern Ireland, British Transport police, Ministry of Defence police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary and officers from the Channel Islands are joining the operation.
"And I think unfortunately we will see a smaller, more difficult protest footprint, people intent on taking some form of direct disruptive action or who may be intent on committing some acts of damage." The most recent comparable operation of its sort on UK soil was the G8 summit at the Lough Erne golf resort in Northern Ireland in June last year, which involved 8,000 officers policing an event attended by world leaders including Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin.
A march is planned on the streets of Newport on 30 August, finishing with a rally and speeches, which Armitt said was "perfectly lawful and legitimate protest activity". Up to 12,000 officers were on duty at peak times during the London Olympics in 2012.
However, he said more disruptive protests were expected during the summit. "We think we might see something a little bit more challenging, people who express a desire to go to the Celtic Manor," he said. "The reality is they will not get to the Celtic Manor, they will encounter the security framework around the summit site. Any attempt to breach that will result in people being arrested because they will be committing acts of damage and they will be committing public order offences." On this occasion, Armitt said the number of heads of state and foreign secretaries, who must receive armed protection under terms in the Vienna convention, meant this was "uncharted territory for UK policing".
Armitt said the number of heads of state and foreign secretaries, who must receive armed protection under terms in the Vienna convention, meant this was "uncharted territory for UK policing". Armitt added that he expected the overwhelming majority of protests to be lawful and peaceful and would be facilitated by police who were in liaison with a number of groups.
Of the 9,500 officers, 1,500 will be from Gwent and South Wales police and a number will come from Wiltshire, Avon & Somerset and Gloucestershire, which fall under the operational footprint, although all 43 forces in England and Wales, Police Scotland, Police Service of Northern Ireland, British Transport police, Ministry of Defence police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary and officers from the Channel Islands are joining the operation. "And I think unfortunately we will see a smaller, more difficult protest footprint, people intent on taking some form of direct disruptive action or who may be intent on committing some acts of damage," he added.
In the Welsh capital, Cardiff Castle and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama will be subject to security measures, while a smaller operation will be present at Cardiff Bay where seven Nato war vessels will be present. Protests expected include a planned "mass demonstration" on 30 August, which is being organised under the banner of the Stop the War movement. It will involve a march through central Newport and a rally.
All 28 Nato countries are attending, as well as International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) nations and Nato partner nations. In addition to dignitaries, 10,000 staff and 2,000 media are expected. While the summit on 4 and 5 September will be based at the Celtic Manor – set in more than 2,000 acres of panoramic parkland and surrounded by eight miles (13.5km) of security fencing – events will also take place in Cardiff, while around 150 visiting dignitaries will stay at hotels in the city as well as in Swansea, Swindon, Bristol, Bath, Gloucester, Cheltenham and Newport itself.
Armitt said the cost of the operation did not fall on the contributing police forces but was centralised. The summit will also involve the stationing of seven Nato vessels at Cardiff Bay, with significant security contingents accompanying the various heads of state from the 28 Nato countries attending as well as those from International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) nations and Nato partner nations.
Armitt said the cost of the operation did not fall on the contributing police forces, but was centralised.
He added: "The protected persons are the very unusual aspect with this because the event is focused on heads of state and foreign secretaries, and [as] they are the two diplomatic positions that are encompassed under the Vienna convention then you almost get a double whammy in terms of armed protection for each country coming."He added: "The protected persons are the very unusual aspect with this because the event is focused on heads of state and foreign secretaries, and [as] they are the two diplomatic positions that are encompassed under the Vienna convention then you almost get a double whammy in terms of armed protection for each country coming."
The summit will focus on the situation in Afghanistan, the Russia-Ukraine crisis and Nato's future role, under the theme "building stability in an unpredictable world".The summit will focus on the situation in Afghanistan, the Russia-Ukraine crisis and Nato's future role, under the theme "building stability in an unpredictable world".