Policing Minister visits NATO Summit site
Damian Green briefed on policing arrangements for international gathering
Policing Minister Damian Green
Policing Minister Damian Green today visited Gwent and South Wales to see how police and security preparations for the NATO Summit are progressing.
The minister met Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Chris Armitt and received an overview of the planning operation while touring some of the key venues such as the Celtic Manor Resort, where the summit will be held from 4 - 5 September.
During the visit, the Policing Minister and ACC Armitt discussed policing arrangements for the security of the event and their plans to minimise local disruption.
Safe and secure
Policing Minister Damian Green said:
I’m delighted to have met ACC Chris Armitt and his team to see first-hand the work they are doing to plan for a safe and secure summit.
The NATO Summit is a major undertaking for the police. However, this prestigious event represents a great opportunity for Newport and Cardiff, and to showcase Wales on the international stage.
I have every confidence in ACC Armitt and all the police officers who will be involved from across the rest of the country in delivering a successful event.
ACC Chris Armitt added:
Gwent Police and South Wales Police have a proud tradition of providing safe and secure policing for major events and I have every confidence the policing of the 2014 NATO Summit will be no different.
Whilst the safety and security of the summit is important it’s no more important than the interests and well-being of local residents. We will be doing all we can to ensure that any local disruption is kept to a minimum and the policing service provided for the rest of Gwent and South Wales is not adversely affected.
A joint Gwent and South Wales Police team are leading the planning for the policing operation, although the summit will draw on the expertise of police officers from across all 43 forces in England and Wales, as well as from Scotland.
Gathering
The summit will be the largest gathering of international leaders ever to take place in the UK. President Obama, Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande are expected to attend along with leaders and senior ministers from around 60 other countries.
The summit comes as NATO draws down from its longest-ever mission in Afghanistan and against a backdrop of instability in Ukraine. It is an opportunity to ensure that NATO continues to be at the forefront of building stability in an unpredictable world.
Heads of Government from the 28 NATO member states and senior dignitaries from NATO’s 30 partner countries will attend.
This will be the first NATO Summit in the UK since the Alliance came to London in 1990 and the first time a sitting USA President has made an official visit to Wales. In total, some 2,000 delegates are expected, along with an estimated 1,500 journalists.