NATO policing praised – but problems identified

POLICE officers from around the country – including 90 South Yorkshire Police officers – have been thanked for their help keeping the NATO Summit safe.

Various policing bodies have paid tribute to the 9,500 officers who policed the event in Newport in Gwent – the biggest policing operation since the 2012 Olympics. However questions have been raised over the length of shifts officers were working.

Neil Bowles, Chairman of South Yorkshire Police Federation, went to South Wales as a Federation representative, along with around 90 mutual aid officers from the force. Mr Bowles said the officers “showed the public what the police service is all about”, with one team based in Cardiff Bay receiving a lot of praise for its smiling and talkative officers.

“I will have one word to say though about the length of the shifts that officers had to work and the time they spent down there,” he added. “I think next time that needs to be planned better.”

Some patrol officers worked for 10 to 12 days without a day off, sometimes with 16-hour shifts.

A total of 31 arrests were made over the week of the operation earlier in the month, for offences such as trespassing and assaulting police.

Officers came from 43 forces for the operation, while around 60 delegates from the 28 member states attended the Summit. Around 14,000 people were estimated to have descended on Newport over 4th and 5th September, although officers stayed in the area from 26 August to 6 September.

Steve White, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “The summit was one of the largest policing operations ever to take place on British soil and it was a great success. We are grateful to every officer who was deployed and to all those who helped with the policing operation. Everyone involved did a fantastic job and together helped showcase the very best of British policing.”

Mr White also paid tribute to the officers left keeping their home forces safe with less staff.

He added: “The success of this event could not have been possible without all those who remained in force continuing everyday service provision for the public and I would also like to thank them for their contribution.”

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Armitt, of Gwent Police, said he was “proud” of the part the police service played in delivering a safe summit.

And Ian Johnston, Policing and Crime Commissioner for Gwent added: “Every single police officer, staff member and volunteer from all over the UK who worked during the summit and in the build up to it can be proud of themselves. Their hard work and effort ensured this historic and momentous occasion for Gwent and Wales ran so smoothly.”