Region’s police prepare to be called upon at G8 conference

The summit in June will see US president Barack Obama, Russian president Vladimir Putin, German chancellor Angela Merkel and others gather for two days at Lough Erne golf resort in County Fermanagh.

Policing groups in England and Wales recently lifted their opposition to officers being deployed to Northern Ireland during the G8 conference.

Earlier this year some police federations advised members not to volunteer for the major security operation amid concerns over a potential terrorist threat.

But fears over security, training, uniform and insurance have since been resolved and about 3,000 officers from across mainland Britain will now be deployed for the summit.

A recent newsletter by the Police Federation said officials had raised a number of concerns, “many of which have been satisfactorily addressed or are in the process of being sorted”.

But it advised: “Please be sensitive to the different security risks associated with your deployment in Northern Ireland.

“Please refrain from discussing your deployment in any open forum and particularly on social media. Loose talk costs lives.”

West Yorkshire Police is sending about 110 officers, while South Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Police have agreed 95 and 36 respectively. Humberside Police said the number of officers it was sending had not yet been decided.

Specialist training for officers being deployed from the mainland for G8 began this month. The summit on June 17 and 18 will be the first time it has been held in the UK since Gleneagles in Scotland in 2005.

Violent protests were seen in Belfast earlier this year over the decision to restrict the flying of the Union flag at City Hall, with dozens of police officers injured in the demonstrations.