G7 Deployment Will Heap Pressure On Officers Left In South Yorkshire

THE number of officers being deployed to help police the G7 Summit in Cornwall next month could heap more pressure on police covering their shifts back in South Yorkshire, the Federation has warned.

The Summit is being held from 11-13 June and will be attended by world leaders including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. More than 5,000 officers from around the country will be providing mutual aid, on top of 1,500 officers from Devon and Cornwall Police.

South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said he had some concerns about the event causing a knock-on shortage of police officers in South Yorkshire during the period of deployment.

He said: “Our little concern about it is that within that amount of numbers they’re wanting from across the country, including ourselves, how does it leave policing – that thin blue line – back in our county?

“The force is doing its very best to minimise that, and I don’t want to criticise them – I genuinely sympathise with the planners, because they’re pulling their hair out with it.

“But it does leave us with fewer officers during a critical time, which then adds to the pressure that we’ve got on our officers back in force.”

Steve said that officers who were working at G7 would have the support of the Devon and Cornwall Police Federation and they could also get in touch with their Fed reps back in South Yorkshire if they had any issues.

Accommodating all the extra officers being drafted in has thrown up logistical challenges – and some will be billeted in a cruise ship moored off Falmouth.

He said: “We want to make sure that accommodation is in place for them. If they have any issues down there they can contact the office and we can help them out from up here. It doesn’t matter that we’re far away. But our real concern is the pressure it leaves policing under.”