A senior police officer has warned protesters planning to demonstrate during Donald Trump's upcoming visit to Scotland that they must stay within the law. Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said the priority will be ensuring the US president has a "peaceful and safe" visit to the country.
The five-day policing operation, known as Operation Roll, will require "significant" resources from Police Scotland. The force will need to draw on mutual aid agreements with other police forces across the UK to manage the complex security arrangements.
Trump visits golf courses
The White House has confirmed Trump will visit his golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire between July 25 and 29. He will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney during his private trip.
The visit is expected to trigger widespread protests, similar to the demonstrations that took place during his last visit to Scotland. Bond encouraged protest groups to discuss their plans with police ahead of the visit to ensure safety.
Police prepare for demonstrations
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Bond said: "As you can imagine, it is a large-scale, complex operation, but actually that's something that Police Scotland is immensely experienced at doing." The policing plan involves local, national and specialist officers from Police Scotland as well as other forces.
Police are working on the assumption there will be protests in Ayrshire, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Bond said Police Scotland will take a "proportionate" approach to ensure people can protest safely, with the force offering to engage with demonstrators ahead of time on a "no surprises" basis.
Safety concerns addressed
However, she said there is nothing at this stage to give her "specific concern" about violence. Speaking to the PA news agency, she also said that concerns raised by the Scottish Police Federation are "being resolved".
The organisation, which represents rank and file officers, had said workforce agreements around health and safety may be breached. The exact numbers of police involved have not been revealed but it is expected to require Police Scotland's entire cadre of police liaison officers.
Warning to disruptive protesters
Asked for her message to those considering disruptive protest, Bond said: "Police Scotland fully recognises people's right to peaceful protest. We would wish to make sure we can balance those rights against the impact on communities, on public safety."
She added: "I would appeal to people obviously to stay within the bounds of peaceful protest. I'd be really clear however that abusive, threatening behaviour, any activity that's intended to disrupt events or in any way that poses a risk to public safety is not legitimate protest and will potentially require an intervention by policing."
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
