Visit of US President one of the biggest operations in Police Scotland’s history
More than 7,000 officers were mobilised during the policing operation for the visit of the US President to Scotland, which passed “without any serious disruption”.
Known as Operation Roll 2, it included local, national and specialist officers from Police Scotland as well as colleagues from UK police forces.
Police Scotland said it was one of the “biggest operations in its history”.
In total, 6,144 Police Scotland officers worked on Operation Roll 2, together with 1,197 mutual aid officers from police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There were 20,748 deployments.
In addition, 154 police staff took part and catering staff handed out around 45,000 meals to police officers, police staff and partners.
The visit took place from Friday July 25 until Tuesday July 29, including meetings between the US President and the European Commission President, Prime Minister and First Minister.
Officers and staff also responded to demonstrations and protests across the country, including in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with only a very small number of criminal justice outcomes.
Police Scotland said: “Members of the public have been in contact to thank us, including a local resident in Turnberry who said officers were ‘professional in their duties’, showing ‘empathy’ and excellent ‘interpersonal skills’.
“While the response to the visit brought international focus, policing in our local communities continued.
“Some of the work during the visit included the arrest of a 67-year-old man in connection with the death of Shona Stevens from Irvine in 1994; a £3.5million recovery of illegal cigarettes and tobacco in Dumfries; and the seizure of illegal drugs in Aberdeen, Alloa, East Kilbride and Glasgow with six people arrested.”
Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond, Gold commander for the police operation, said: “This significant event took place safely without any serious disruption.
“A policing plan was put in place to maintain public safety, balance rights to peaceful protest and minimise disruption.
“I’d like to thank the public for their patience as we worked tirelessly to deliver this operation, while police work continued in communities across Scotland.
“Most importantly, I’d like to thank our officers and staff. Thank you for your professionalism and hard work during every long shift away from your family and friends. Every single officer and member of police staff should be incredibly proud of how we delivered this significant operation while keeping communities safe across Scotland.”