Forum menu
A bit OTT, yes. I get that today's stage would / should be cancelled, like it or not the country is a monarchy and the much loved monarch of 70 years died yesterday. But life goes on, and while some multiday events can't lose a day without damaging the contest, I feel this one could.
Test match - hard to squeeze into 4 days especially as yesterday was lost to rain anyway. PGA Golf at Wentworth - just make it a 54 hole tournament. ToB - could lose the stage and might affect standings or chances for some depending on what type of stage today was, but overall could have continued.
There's no race with no Police cover, and the Police have to decide what the priorities have to be.
Can see todays stage cancelled out of respect, but from my uninformed position,I'm not seeing the Police being needed elsewhere for the next couple of days, but better folk than me have all the facts.
Are all major sporting events cancelled now in the run up to funeral on the same basis? No Police for football and rugby matches?
All part of https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-britain-operation-london-bridge/
Huge amounts of resources being re-deployed. Leave will be cancelled, so its all about priorities.
Huge amounts of resources being re-deployed. Leave will be cancelled, so its all about priorities.
Pretty sure you'll find that the same folk who complain about the Police getting involved in "woke" stuff won't be complaining that they're not investigating crime etc during the next couple of weeks.
I've policed quite a few major events, Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Heads of Government, G8 (Prestwick/Gleneagles), major sporting events; Open Golf etc. The drain on police resources before, during and after is enormous and far beyond that which the public might appreciate.
London Bridge will be bigger than all of the above. Consider that heads of state from most countries of the world will either attend the UK themselves or send a VVIP, foreign minister / prince etc, in their place. Those 150+ heads of state and their entourages will require police support.
Depending on the 'importance' / security risk of world leaders, they can have from one liaison officer and a police driver or two, right up to a team of armed officers, multi vehicle convoys and a full team of marked bikes to implement rolling road blocks on every journey that head of state may undertake from the moment they touch down until they leave. Every officer allocated to a world leader will have to alter their rest days / annual leave to ensure adequate rest before and after the event. All affected officers will be fully seconded from their own force and accommodated locally to whichever area they are to be deployed (Balmoral, Edinburgh, London and various royal residences). Those involved in security escort duties (drivers, bikers and shootists) may have been seconded from hundreds of miles away and will have to recce planned routes and multiple alternatives well in advance of live duty.
Public Order, Dog Branch, Mounted, Underwater, Marine, Counter Terrorism and Special Branch Officers will be similarly seconded and deployed. Search and seal of a multitude of vehicles and premises (including drains and tunnels) will be undertaken beforehand. All such vehicles and buildings will then have to be guarded 24/7 by uniformed officers, also seconded from across the UK. Uniformed officers will also be drafted in for cordons on urban cortege routes (more drains).
Everyone needs bed and board and most will need transportation to and from their secondment. It's mind bogglingly huge and will leave the rest of the country with **** all policing cover. That might help explain why they pulled the plug on a bike race.
Then it will happen all over again for the coronation.
So glad I'm retired....
Pretty sure you’ll find that the same folk who complain about the Police getting involved in “woke” stuff won’t be complaining that they’re not investigating crime etc during the next couple of weeks.
I'm thinking I'm going to need to use that....
Tis only sport.
I get that the policing for the funeral will be completed and need lots of officers but given the race was due to finish this weekend I would have thought they could finish and still have over a week to prepare. Surely the met police the funeral our dues the rest of the country have to loose its force aswell
You lot all on crack ?
The police all appear to be up here clearing the route from Balmoral to Edinburgh entirely of cars along its entire length. The 60 miles from Balmoral to Aberdeen has been coned in almost entirety for tomorrows procession.
This evening they are going door to door with a flat bed for cars that have not been moved in our village. - I would expect that will be the same all the way to town and then Dundee and Edinburgh also.
This isn't a one day funeral. Hadn't really grasped the scale my self till I saw the show of police today.