Wiltshire officers to help out with G7 Summit in Cornwall

Police forces around the country are helping out

Author: Emma HartPublished 8th Jun 2021
Last updated 9th Jun 2021

It has been revealed that around 6,500 police officers from around the country will be working in Cornwall for the G7 summit this weekend.

That is how many will be deployed during the event in total, with around 5,000 of those being on what is called 'mutual aid'.

This includes a number from Wiltshire Police who have confirmed that they will be playing a role in supporting security arrangements through mutual aid.

The force haven't said how many will be sent down from the county

The figures have been revealed by officers in charge of policing the world leaders event, which is taking place from Friday (11th June) to Sunday (13th June).

Police say the G7 will be the biggest policing and security event in England this year.

This week a new website has launched, for how the G7 will be policed, and another Facebook live event has been held with updates from officials.

It has also been announced that no trains will be running on the St Ives branch line from the 7th to 14th June, with replacement buses running instead.

Superintendent Jo Hall, Devon and Cornwall Police said;

"We will be policing air, sea and land, it's quite a complex environment.

"You are likely to see high numbers of officers and staff, you are also likely to see fencing around the main areas, but that is nothing to be alarmed by, this is to ensure we can keep the event safe and secure, and keep communities safe."

More details have also been released about the logistical side of policing the event.

Over 100 police dogs and their handlers will also be in Cornwall for the summit.

Along with the thousands of extra officers, that means the force will need to provide around 100,000 meals for staff.

Superintendent Jo Hall added:

"Part of that planning is to deliver 16,000 meals a day, we have secured over 100 accommodation sites in Cornwall, we have secured extra kenneling for our dogs that are coming down to support us.

"It is a really big logistical challenge, but we have planned for events like this before, we're used to planning big events and our plans are agile and scale-able."

Public health officials in the Duchy say they are used to dealing with large numbers of visitors in Cornwall and their main priority is to protect the health and safety of residents.

Police say anyone who doesn't need to be in the locations of key events should think about avoiding those areas.

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