COP26: Ayrshire police Faroque Hussain ensures public safety

Police redeployment for the COP26 conference in Glasgow is believed to be one of the biggest operations the country has ever seen.

Around 10,000 officers will be deployed each day during the gathering of global leaders, with Scotland's forces being bolstered by police from other parts of the UK.

Firearms officers, dog handlers, mounted branch, search teams and the marine unit will all be used in what will be the largest police operation ever undertaken in Scotland.

Around 200 specialist drug-sniffing, gun-detecting, and explosive-finding police dogs are also being drafted in.

Despite the larger presence in Glasgow, Divisional Commander for Ayrshire, Chief Superintendent Faroque Hussain says the priority will remain on 999 emergency calls.

He said: “A considerable part of our planning for COP26 has been to ensure that the communities of Scotland continue to receive the same high standard of service from policing that they have come to expect.

“Policing, so often the service of first and last resort, will never step away from people in crisis.

“There are pressures which exist across many other services, agencies and sectors, and when the health service, local authorities and other key partners come under significant strain, demand is diverted to policing.

"However, Police Scotland prioritises emergency 999 calls and these are answered within less than 10 seconds, on average. Our non-emergency response times continue to be affected by high demand.

“While an event the size of COP26 places considerable demands on policing, we already have contingencies in place and are taking steps to boost those over the coming weeks.

“Although there is potential for further disruption should pressure on other agencies and services persist and become more acute, particularly as the country prepares for COP26, I can reassure the public that if they need an emergency response from us they will get it.”