The police chief in charge of Donald Trump’s visit to Scotland has told Sky News it would be “inappropriate” to ignore the attempted assassination of the US president when planning security.
Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said officers from across the UK have been drafted in to help police the event.
Speaking to Sky News, ACC Bond said those planning the operation have taken account of the risk factors and considered potential terror threats.
Mr Trump survived an attempted assassination at a campaign rally last July but was shot and wounded in his upper right ear by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
ACC Bond said: “There’s a broad range of considerations, absolutely. I mean, it would be inappropriate for me to plan an operation and not bear in mind what has happened in other parts of the world.
“But with that in mind, we’ve got a really experienced team of officers working as part of planning the operation.
“We’ve got really good command experience, and I’m confident that the operation that we will deliver is proportionate and what is required to meet the needs and to ensure that we keep the president safe.”
ACC Bond described it as a “really significant, complex operation” for Police Scotland.
Officers will be prepared for any kind of criminal activity, including offences linked to proscribed group Palestine Action.
She said: “Police Scotland has a lot of experience in terms of organising and planning events and operations of this scale – really experienced – but it is a significant operation for us, focused on maintaining public safety, balancing people’s right to peaceful protest, and ensuring that we minimise disruption to communities.”
She said the force will be working with local authorities and Transport Scotland to minimise any potential disruption.
The plan has also been designed to maintain service delivery across Scotland.
ACC Bond said: “I can’t say definitively there may not be some disruption to how we’ve done that, but absolutely, it’s been a priority to make sure that that’s minimised as much as possible.”
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On Monday, it was revealed that the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) is seeking legal advice regarding potential action against Police Scotland over its operational plans for Mr Trump’s visit.
The SPF has accused the force of breaching a workforce agreement.
ACC Bond said: “I absolutely recognise the concerns that the federation have raised, but I’m confident that as a result of engagement that those issues have been resolved and will not have any impact on our ability to deliver this operation or keep communities safe.”
The cost of policing the event is yet to be finalised, however ACC Bond said it will be “significant”. Conversations are said to be ongoing with the UK and Scottish governments about the funding.
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Mr Trump’s visit to Scotland will take place between 25 and 29 July.
He is expected to visit both of his golf courses – Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire and Trump International Scotland in Aberdeenshire.
During his stay, the president will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Swinney for informal talks.
Kirsty Haigh, from Scotland Against Trump, said protesters across the UK will unite to demonstrate against Mr Trump and his politics of “division”.
Ms Haigh told Sky News the president uses Scotland as a way to “cleanse his image” and he should not be able to use the country as an “escape” from his views.
She said: “He should not be welcomed by us, by our leaders.”
The activist said standing up to Mr Trump’s “politics of hate” is “far more important than any income that could be made from golfing”.
She said: “Scotland needs to reject the politics of Trump. And our leaders need to be making it clear the sort of Scotland that we want to see.
“We want to see a Scotland that is very different than [the] America that’s being created.”
Mr Trump has faced criticism since returning to the White House over his stance on climate change, his hardline anti-immigration agenda, and most recently, his administration’s handling of records in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Ms Haigh added: “So, we need our leaders, and all of us, to be making it clear that we need things to be done differently and the red carpet won’t be rolled out for Trump, and that we want things to be done differently here.”
