Meeting of minds

The tranquility of the Scottish summer will be broken in somewhat dramatic fashion early on this month with the arrival of numerous (and highly vociferous) protest groups – including the Make Poverty History campaigners – and their many thousands of ‘anarchists, anti-capitalists and disaffected souls’ who want to ‘make a difference’.

Why are these so-called ‘social terrorists’ plotting an unwelcome invasion of Perthshire? From 6-8 July, the annual meeting of the world’s richest and leading industrialised nations takes place at the world famous Gleneagles Hotel (the acclaimed ‘Palace in the Glens’ normally home to film stars, millionaires and those otherwise attached to the ultra-rich set).

The Prime Ministers, Presidents and leading politicians from the United States, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia – otherwise known as the Group of Eight (G8) – assemble each year to debate a host of weighty issues, including climatic change and the flow of aid to Africa. The Group of Eight is an informal but exclusive body whose members set out to tackle global challenges through constructive debate and subsequent action.

The Group’s positive stance on globalisation has often provoked a vigorous response from opponents. Indeed, riots have occasionally overshadowed important Summit agendas (most notably in Italy during the 2001 G8 gathering).

Of late, the G8 Group has launched drives to counter disease (including HIV-Aids), announcing development programmes and debt-relief schemes. However, aid is frequently dependent on the degree of respect for democracy and social governance in the recipient nations.

In addition, a great many critics suggest that spending on such initiatives is inadequate and must be increased immediately.

As the foremost economic and political power, the United States is regarded as the dominant member (although such a position is not formally enshrined). What is enshrined in ‘law’ is that the country holding the presidency in any given year is also responsible for hosting the G8 Summit… and for handling the security. This year, that honour falls to the UK and Prime Minister Tony Blair’s recently re-elected Labour Government.

Political protesters en masse

Given that 3,000 or more media representatives attended last year’s Forum at Sea Island in Georgia, USA, this year’s protestors have been quick to realise that the ‘meeting of developed world minds’ is an excellent backdrop against – and around – which they might air their own brands of political opinion.

Gleneagles itself was chosen as the venue for the 2005 G8 Summit primarily due to its out-of-the-way location. The 18th Century hotel – built by the Caledonian Railway Company, and described as a ‘Riviera in the Highlands’ when it opened in June 1924 – sits amid majestic mountains and sweeping moor land more than 25 kilometres distant from the nearest large conurbations (Perth and Stirling). The major cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh are over an hour’s drive away.

The only local town, in fact, is Auchterarder (at a distance of 2 kilometres). The police service is creating an exclusion zone near Auchterarder, including the road which protesters will be looking to use for their attempted march on The Gleneagles Hotel and several rights of way which cross the complex’s golf courses.

Tayside Police suggests that protesters be allowed to voice their opinions in a local park accommodating around 4,000 demonstrators. Tabloid reports warn of “masked anarchists armed with petrol bombs”, but Fire Brigades Union spokesperson John McDonald believes the stories to be “well wide of the mark”.

The Gleneagles venue is isolated, then, and cannot be reached other than by one main road, a few minor roads and the railway. The international airports at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Glasgow Prestwick are more than 70 kilometres by car. That said, current reports suggest that no obstacle is too big for the protest groups to tackle.

Four days before the Summit begins, the aforementioned (and now extremely high profile) Make Poverty History campaigners will hold a rally in Edinburgh. Organisers are hoping that anything up to 200,000 people – all dressed in white – will form a human ‘white circle’ in the city centre, echoing the trendy white wristbands currently sported by celebrities and supporters alike. Sir Bob Geldof – organiser of the forthcoming Live 8 concerts – claims that this will be “the biggest party ever held”, and suggests that: “If the principal characters in the middle of this party – the eight leaders who can control the world’s economic destiny – do not want to attend then they shouldn’t show up.”

When the G8 Summit was last held on home shores (in 1998), no less than 50,000 people formed a human chain in Birmingham, calling on the politicians to drop the debt of the world’s poorest nations. That event also witnessed violent clashes between riot police and protesters, many of them from the Reclaim The Streets movement.

On 4 July, an anti-nuclear protest is planned at the biggest military base in Scotland. Located 60 miles from Gleneagles, Faslane is a Royal Navy submarine base on the River Clyde serving as the home port for all four British Trident nuclear armed submarines. Acting on their premise that “war creates poverty, and poverty creates war”, activists have been at pains to point out they will do their utmost to shut down the base for the day.

Then, on Day One of the Summit, a rally organised by G8 Alternatives is scheduled to trek from Gleneagles Railway Station to the gates of the hotel. With the rallying cry of: “They are G8, but we are six billion”, campaigners hope that thousands will attend to voice their criticism that: “The Group of 8 white men have brought war, occupation, neo-liberal corporate globalisation, poverty and environmental devastation to the world.”

The last day of the G8 Summit on Friday 8 July promises little or no respite, as G8 Climate Action has earmarked that date for protests over climate change. In essence, the group wants people to: “Stop climate chaos – by flooding the G8!” and is cajoling conscientious objectors to attend Gleneagles and make themselves heard.

As if that little lot wasn’t enough, bosses of the multinational oil and gas giants in Aberdeen are also on stand-by for likely protest action. Workers at the city headquarters of Shell, BP and Marathon have been given advice on what to do if confronted by angry demonstrators.

Although Grampian Police are not aware of any specific threats, they desperately want to make sure all possibilities are covered.

Each police service involved is fully in control of the G8-associated operations taking place within their area of jurisdiction. The plan is to provide the tightest security regime at all times, with resilience available on a Scotland-wide basis

John Vine, Chief constable, Tayside poice

Planning procedures firmly in place

Clearly, mapping out the necessary security procedures will have been no easy task. Indeed, the G8 Summit necessitates what has already been described by John Vine – chief constable of Tayside Police and leader of Operation SORBUS – as “the biggest policing operation ever held in Scotland”.

The total cost of Operation SORBUS to the tax payer remains a closely-guarded secret. The UK Government has offered £20 million of support, but Scotland’s First Minister Jack McConnell is swift to dismiss national newspaper suggestions that the whole shooting match will wrest over £100 million from the public purse.

For his part, chief constable Vine was informed by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as long ago as February 2004 that Gleneagles would be the venue because it “provides the setting for the informal fireside chats that are a major part of the G8” (see panel ‘The Group of Eight: setting the political and economic agenda’). There will be 10,000 police officers committed to the event (representing no less than 30% of the operational strength of the Scottish Police Service), supported by attachments totalling 3% of operational strength in England.

“The plan,” according to Vine, “is to provide the tightest security regime at all times, with resilience available on a Scotland-wide basis.”

Assistance has been commissioned from a wide range of other police bodies and Government-supported agencies, among them the Association of Chief Police Officers (in both England and Scotland), the Metropolitan Police, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the PMO. The British Transport Police (BTP) and the UK Atomic Energy Police are also lending a helping hand, so too the Home Office Scientific Development Branch.

“The technical agencies regard this as an excellent opportunity to evaluate equipment and procedures,” adds chief inspector Roddie Ross of the Operation SORBUS Team. “Their specialist research and well-honed practices are perfectly geared for such an occasion.”

Although Tayside Police ‘owns’ the G8 operation, there has been a Scotland-wide policing and security plan from the outset. John Vine takes up the story. “Each police force that’s involved is fully in control of the G8-associated operations taking place within their area of jurisdiction. However, co-ordination of the available mutual aid resources will be tasked to the Scottish Police Incident Co-ordinating Centre.” A Centre already tried-and-tested during the fuel disputes of 2000.

The G8 Summit Security Plan necessarily encompasses individual operations aimed at safeguarding the Gleneagles complex, airports and air space, road and rail transport, public order (in identified locations) and the overall impact on local communities.

The Gleneagles site is under the direct command of the Operation SORBUS Team. The Gleneagles Hotel itself is set in 850 acres, has its own railway station and employs more than 500 members of staff (all of whom have been subject to rigorous vetting and criminal records checking procedures).

Leaving nothing to chance, a contingent from the US Secret Service paid a surprise visit to the site earlier this year in order to conduct an in-depth security survey. Their task was to examine every aspect of President George W Bush’s visit, from transport through to accommodation and wider security issues.

As if to emphasise the severity of the task, a US Navy aircraft carrier will be stationed off the west coast of Scotland throughout the Summit’s duration – harbouring US marines, helicopter support and a full Presidential Command Post capability.

Meantime, the security services have erected a two-metre high thick steel security fence to cover the entire Gleneagles perimeter, which stretches for eight kilometres. Classic security always works from the outside in...

Aviation, road and rail security

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will not confirm the air travel details until closer to the Summit’s commencement. A spokesperson told SMT: “The airports to be used are Glasgow, Edinburgh and Glasgow Prestwick, but no firm decision has yet been taken on the precise role for each. All will be used as part of the official security planning process to transport VIPs, delegates and the media.”

Given its proximity, one might surmise that Glasgow Prestwick Airport will serve as the major transit point.

In mid-June, reassurances had to be given in relation to Glasgow Prestwick following a raid by masked robbers. Three men stole computer equipment worth an estimated six-figure sum from the Freight Terminal after threatening members of staff with knives.

“The robbery had absolutely nothing to do with the G8 Summit,” suggests Steven Fitzgerald, chief executive of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. “We will obviously be looking into ways of tightening security at our Freight Terminal, though, which is a public area used at all times of the day and night by numerous freight operators. Our security will now be moved to a far higher level.”

At the present time, plans are in place for 3,000 police and security officers to guard the airport’s 14-mile perimeter.

The Government has deliberately placed the emphasis on traditional British policing and security management. A considerable amount of public order training has been administered for police and security officers like, and anti-terrorist event run-throughs conducted

Aviation restrictions are likely to follow the same pattern as those imposed for Sea Island. These will entail an inner ‘No Flying Zone’ around the site at Gleneagles for the period of the Summit and a larger, more restricted zone at the transit airport (which, as stated, is likely to be Glasgow Prestwick) during both the arrival and departure of G8 Group delegations.

Severe disruption is highly likely to occur in any case as the Summit takes place right at the beginning of the Scottish school holidays. In addition, there will be road closures and restricted access to the airport terminal buildings during these times. Flight arrangements alone should attract large numbers of demonstrators.

Fortunately, there is a good road network linking all of the G8 Summit locations. In fact, a brand new motorway joining Glasgow with Prestwick is due for completion only a week before dignitaries arrive. There is no intention of closing any of these road links. If problems do occur on the road network, the National Driver Information and Control System (NADICS) will swing into action. This system covers all of the main artery roads likely to be affected by any demonstrations.

NADICS boasts over 120 cameras, and there is a direct feed from each into the local area Police Control Rooms. The system is in daily use, and was of great assistance during the aforementioned fuel disputes. The Forth Road Bridge – one of the protesters’ planned targets to host periods of disruptive behaviour – is also covered by the NADICS network.

The railway network presents something of a different security dilemma. “The main problem is caused by the geographical spread of potential demonstrators using the network, as these people can access it at any point,” stresses Inspector Charlie Curran, commander of BTP’s G8 operations team. “Regular passengers need to have access to travel at the same time, and we must endeavour to provide normal levels of service on behalf of the rail operators.” Needless to say, Gleneagles Railway Station is the prime focus of attention.

BTP Scotland has set up a major project planning squad as part of Operation SORBUS. There is a mutual aid procedure in place that enables BTP Scotland to call in additional forces from other BTP units throughout the UK. They have plenty of experience of dealing with major events. It is common practice for BTP Scotland officers to be seconded for specialist operations as and when required.

Management of public order

As stated, the G8 Summit is being treated very much as a Scotland-wide event, with all forward planning taking this into account. On the one hand, the remote location of Gleneagles may well dissuade mass protests from occurring on site, but this fact merely serves to displace the problem. We have already seen how both Glasgow and Edinburgh will attract activists. Attempts at public disorder must surely be on the cards, then...

When discussing this particular topic, John Vine talks about a “proportionate response”. He continues: “The Government has deliberately placed the emphasis on traditional British policing and security management. An element of that is the ‘Bobby on the street corner’ approach.”

A considerable amount of public order training has been administered for police and security officers alike, and anti-terrorist event run-throughs conducted. More will be held in the days leading up to Wednesday 6 July.

Both the New Scottish Parliamentary Building and the Royal Palace of Holyroodhouse are adjacent to one another in the city of Edinburgh. As a result, they become attractive to demonstrators looking to achieve a ‘double hit’. That being the case, the surrounding area will be ‘locked down’ by the police to keep protesters at arms length, while at the other end of the Royal Mile similar precautions are to be enforced at the world-famous Edinburgh Castle.

Informing the commercial community

Leaving nothing to chance, all police leave in Scotland has been cancelled throughout this month, while the Courts in Edinburgh and selected other locations are to sit in session for 12 hours per day to deal with any people who are arrested for disorder, etc.

The Scottish Business Crime Centre has been holding almost daily briefings in Glasgow and Edinburgh to assist commercial concerns in preparing for the event. “We have offered examples of sound business practice and dealt with many queries,” notes Alex Kelly, the organisation’s assistant director. “Contrary to lurid tales in the national media, we haven’t noticed any kind of hysteria creeping in among the commercial community.”

Essentially, businesses have been asked to consider standard security and continuity planning measures, such as coping with traffic disruption and road closures, the need for reviewing emergency procedures, staffing implications (can members of staff actually reach the premises?), the overall security of business premises, maintenance of CCTV systems and that key holder details are accurate in case any named individuals need to be contacted to secure damaged premises.

Although the effects of the G8 Summit will be felt elsewhere in Scotland, they will be much more apparent for the local community in Gleneagles. To this end, one of the main objectives of Operation SORBUS is to minimise the impact for local residents and businesses.

Inspector Athol Aitken is responsible for the community liaison at Gleneagles. “Tayside Police realises that an identified community liaison policy is vitally important for local residents,” opines Aitken. “The overriding desire is to reassure them, and release relevant information directly to them as soon as it’s made available.”

Proactive policies like this one ensure that local people will hear the latest developments from the security services as opposed to possible misinformation from the newspapers.

Much of the information that the locals digest from the media is contorted (ie that concerned with curfews, so-called ‘Rings of Steel’, the possible use of water cannons and rubber bullets, etc). Aitken and members of his team must constantly refute such speculation, presenting a more balanced viewpoint.

Already, over 50 local ‘surgeries’ have been held to keep the public fully informed.