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Community Questions
How long will Gleneagles Hotel and its facilities be closed? What scale and type of security will there be? How quickly will the public or businesses in Auchterarder be able to summon the police if something happens? Will we be able to get fire engines and ambulances as quickly as normal if some are committed to Gleneagles Hotel and will they get priority through any traffic cordons? How will the summit affect the people of Auchterarder and the surrounding area? How will the police cope with any major influx of traffic and pedestrians in Auchterarder town centre - where do vehicles go? Will local people be required to carry identity cards? Which roads will be closed? Are there any plans to close the A9? Will local residents have to allow extra travelling time to go to work and when returning home? Will there be helicopter activity? What happens if I am suspicious of someone? There are lots of reports on the internet and in newspapers about protestors planning to take confrontational action - is this likely to happen? How far in advance of the summit do people have to give notice of their intention to march? Are the police or council arranging convergence sites for protesters? Will regular deliveries to businesses and homes, such as mail and grocery supplies, be allowed? When will we start to see more police in the area? What do I need to know about household or business insurance? Policing Questions How many officers will be used to police the summit? Who pays for the security operation and how much is it going to cost? Will the full cost of policing the G8 Summit be made public? Will there be any military involvement in the security operation and if so, to what extent? Will there be armed police? Will foreign security staff be allowed to carry arms outwith the immediate hotel security cordon? How will the police cope if large numbers of protestors gather at the summit venue, or elsewhere in Scotland? If a protest march is approved, how do police ensure the maximum number sanctioned is not exceeded on the day? What's going to happen to regular policing services if so many resources are being directed to the summit? There have been lots of press reports about the police preparations - how accurately does this reflect what's happening? When will the police presence in Auchterarder step down after the event? Will it be Tayside officers who police Auchterarder itself? What kind of reassurance can you give to people who are considering closing their business premises over the week of the Summit to encourage them to stay and trade? How long will Gleneagles Hotel and its facilities be closed? Gleneagles Hotel and its grounds, including the golf courses, will be closed for the minimum amount of time possible, while ensuring the security of the G8 leaders. The hotel and facilities are expected to be closed from Sunday, July 3 until Saturday, July 9. What scale and type of security will there be? Gleneagles Hotel and the surrounding grounds will be the focus of a major security operation. There will be a security fence around the hotel and checks on people and vehicles in the immediate area. How quickly will the public or businesses in Auchterarder be able to summon the police if something happens? In the immediate run-up to and during the summit there will be an increase in the number of police officers in and around Auchterarder. Given the extra officers on duty, we would expect to be able to deliver an enhanced response. Will we be able to get fire engines and ambulances as quickly as normal if some are committed to Gleneagles Hotel and will they get priority through any traffic cordons? Emergency services will be available as normal and access will be allowed through cordons if required. How will the summit affect the people of Auchterarder and the surrounding area? Tayside Police will be working closely with Perth and Kinross Council and the local community to minimise and manage any disruption and to address any concerns that residents may have. While it is inevitable that there will be some disruption and inconvenience, each of the agencies involved in the running of the summit will endeavour to allow local people to go about their daily lives and business as freely as possible. How will the police cope with any major influx of traffic and pedestrians in Auchterarder town centre - where do vehicles go? Police officers will be on patrol with the remit of stopping indiscriminate parking and keeping traffic moving. As with everyday local and tourist traffic, we cannot say who can or cannot use public parking spaces. Will local people be required to carry identity cards? People living or working outside of the security fence will not need to carry security passes. It is standard procedure for events such as the G8 Summit for those who live close to the venue to carry identification so they can go through any police checks with the minimum of inconvenience. Officers are working closely with residents who will require passes. Which roads will be closed? Details of road closures can be found on our Traffic Management pages. Are there any plans to close the A9? There are no plans to close the A9. Motorists will see a higher than usual road policing presence and there will be a lowered speed limit on some sections of the road. To help vehicles enter and exit the A9 safely, road-policing officers will be stationed at junctions at Auchterarder, Blackford, Loaninghead and Aberuthven. Will local residents have to allow extra travelling time to go to work and when returning home? The police will do everything possible to help people travel through the Auchterarder area with the minimum of delay. Motorists are being encouraged to consider personal travel arrangements over the week of the summit, and take road closures and diversions into consideration when planning a journey. Will there be helicopter activity? Air support is commonplace at major events and police helicopters will be in operation from time to time. Every effort will be made to keep any helicopter noise to a minimum. What happens if I am suspicious of someone? Lots of new faces are going to appear in the Auchterarder area in the run-up to and during the summit, for example police officers, journalists and council employees. Members of the public often report suspicious incidents to the police and they should continue to do this. Extra vigilance by the public will help the security operation. There are lots of reports on the internet and in newspapers about protestors planning to take confrontational action - is this likely to happen? Due to the nature of the internet, the police urge anyone looking at such websites to remember that it is very difficult to assess the veracity of the content and to be aware that claims made on-line don't necessarily translate into action. Likewise, there has been and will continue to be speculation in the media about the possibility of violence and confrontation. The police deal with facts and are putting a lot of effort into establishing the true nature and scale of any protests likely to take place during the summit. How far in advance of the summit do people have to give notice of their intention to march? Any person proposing to hold a procession in public must give at least seven days notice to the council in whose areas the procession or march is to be held. However, anyone planning to give notice of his or her intention to march is advised to give as much notice as possible to the local authority. This is to allow organisers sufficient time to appeal should conditions be imposed. For full information about this process, please see www.perthshireg8.com Are the police or council arranging a convergence site for protesters? It is not for the police or council to provide such a facility. If a group or individual were to come forward with a proposal and agreement from a landowner, the police and council would wish to be informed. The police and local authority would then liaise with the organisers and landowners on issues such as health and safety, environmental health and security. Will regular deliveries to businesses and homes, such as mail and grocery supplies, be allowed? Yes. There are no plans to restrict deliveries such as mail and supplies to shops during the summit. Every effort will be made by the police, council and other agencies for business to continue as usual in Auchterarder and surrounding areas. When will we start to see more police in the area? There will be a gradual build-up of police staff, starting some weeks before the summit. During the event there will be a significant community police presence on the beat and on the roads. The police will be there in numbers not only to uphold the law and protect the public, but also to help local people go about their daily lives and business. What do I need to know about household or business insurance? Insurance is not a policing issue. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have issued advice on the official G8 Summit website, www.g8.gov.uk More general advice is also available from the Association of British Insurers (ABI). You can contact the ABI at www.abi.org.uk, email info@abi.org.uk or telephone 0207 600 3333. How many officers will be used to police the summit? With an event of this scale and nature, several thousand officers will be required to police the summit. A definitive figure won't be reached until close to the event, but the number of officers deployed in or around the summit venue - or elsewhere in Scotland - will be the number necessary to provide for the safety and security of the event. Who pays for the security operation and how much is it going to cost? As with previous G8 Summits, the cost of the security operation is met by the Government of the country in which it is held. It's too early to say exactly how much money will be spent on security, but costs are being kept down as far as possible. Will the full cost of policing the G8 Summit be made public? The costs of policing the G8 Summit will be included in Tayside Police's audited annual accounts for 2005/2006, which are available to the public. Will there be any military involvement in the security operation and if so, to what extent? An event of this nature will obviously require a significant security operation and Tayside Police is liaising closely with other police forces and Government agencies. We are not prepared to discuss specific security plans. However, it is important to stress that the security operation for the G8 Summit is being delivered by the police, not the military. Will there be armed police? The level of protection required at a gathering of world leaders means some armed police officers will be deployed. Will foreign security staff be allowed to carry arms outwith the immediate hotel security cordon? This is a matter which will be considered by the Home Secretary. How will the police cope if large numbers of protestors gather at the summit venue, or elsewhere in Scotland? There is a lot of speculation about the scale and type of demonstrations which may take place around the time of the summit. Tayside Police, and other forces, are making plans to ensure that those who wish to protest lawfully will be able to do so. Those who do otherwise will be dealt with effectively and appropriately. We hope that protest groups will take the opportunity to work with the police to this end. If a protest march is approved, how do police ensure the maximum number sanctioned is not exceeded on the day? The organisers of an approved march are responsible for numbers taking part and would have an upper limit set by the local authority when the application is approved. The police would work with the organisers and respond as necessary should an excessive number of people turn up. What's going to happen to regular policing services if so many resources are being directed to the summit? Police cover will not be reduced below what is operationally appropriate across Scotland. All eight Scottish forces have withheld leave during early July and we will be making maximum use of all our resources during the summit period to ensure that community policing is not affected. There have been lots of press reports about the police preparations – how accurately does this reflect what's happening? The police planning operation for the summit has certainly caught the attention of the media but not all press reports give an accurate or balanced picture of what's happening. Tayside Police is putting a very broad range of contingencies in place and planning for all eventualities – this does not mean the force anticipates there being any large scale incidents of public disorder. When will the police presence in Auchterarder step down after the event? The policing operation will begin to scale down as soon as the summit has concluded. Like the build-up, this will be done phase by phase with the intention of resuming normal life for local people as quickly as possible. Will it be Tayside officers who police Auchterarder itself? The community policing operation will be staffed by Tayside officers, supported by officers from other Scottish forces as required. What kind of reassurance can you give to people who are considering closing their business premises over the week of the Summit to encourage them to stay and trade? A substantial community policing operation will be in place to uphold the law and protect the public and property. Police officers will be on duty around the clock to look after local people, their shops, homes and businesses. Tayside Police is committed to providing a safe and secure G8 Summit and minimising disruption to local communities while upholding the law and maintaining public order. |
