Donald Trump’s visit to Scotland will require a security operation as big as the arrangements for the Queen’s funeral – involving up to 6,000 officers.
Taxpayers face a bill of more than £3million for policing his stay which begins on Friday and ends next Tuesday and will include trips to the President’s golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire.
The Mail can reveal around 5,000 Police Scotland officers will be needed for the ‘large-scale, complex’ Operation Roll 2 – the codename for policing the visit – with a further 1,000 drafted in from the rest of the UK under mutual aid arrangements.
Today a ‘ring of steel’ was thrown up at Trump Turnberry – Mr Trump’s luxury hotel and golf course in Ayrshire – with 10ft perimeter fencing erected as security measures are ramped up by officers with road closures now being put in place in and around the area.
Several ‘road closed’ signs have been placed on the road, as well as checkpoints for ‘authorised access’.
Chinook helicopters were spotted at Prestwick Airport and on Monday US military planes and helicopters gathered ahead of his arrival.
Last night the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), representing rank-and-file officers, rubbished assurances from top brass that day-to-day policing would not be impacted by the visit as ‘utter nonsense’ – warning that the waiting time for officer call-outs could double.
General secretary David Kennedy said: ‘It will have an impact – whereas now you might be waiting for four hours for a cop to turn up to a call, during the visit it is more likely to be eight hours.’
President Trump’s visit begins on Friday and ends next Tuesday and will include trips to his golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire. Pictured at his Aberdeenshire course, above
US servicemen were seen moving huge petrol tankers, possibly used to refill Air Force One and walking around the tarmac at Prestwick Airport amid the huge security operation
Hundreds of traffic cones have been laid out on roads leading up to HMS Gannet, suggesting President Trump may drive to Turnberry as he did during a previous visit
He spoke out after the SPF said it was seeking legal advice as it believes the operation breaches workplace arrangements – but the Mail understands the dispute, in relation to overtime payments, has been resolved.
The White House confirmed Mr Trump will visit his golf courses and intends to meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Swinney during his private trip.
Previous visits have drawn widespread demonstrations in Scotland’s main cities.
In 2018, a paraglider was able to enter the no-fly zone above the golf course at Turnberry and fly a banner reading: ‘Trump – Below Par.’
Mr Trump was on the front steps of the hotel as the light aircraft approached and was ushered inside by armed police officers.
One of the groups most vocal in its plans to protest against the U.S. President’s visit is the Stop Trump Coalition, which posted on social media platform X on Monday: ‘On every street in Britain we reject Trump & his politics of hate, & we will meet him with protests all over the place!’
The Scottish Police Authority is spending £350,182 on hiring security barriers and fencing related to Mr Trump’s visit.
At a media briefing in Glasgow today, Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond, Police Scotland’s ‘gold commander’ for Mr Trump’s visit, said the operation would be the biggest for Scottish policing since the Queen’s funeral in 2022.
President Trump’s visit will include a stay at his luxury resort Trump Turnberry, in Ayrshire
The Mail understands it will be – ‘in the same category’ as Operation Unicorn – the codename for policing events around the late monarch’s funeral.
Ms Bond has encouraged protest groups to discuss their plans with police ahead of the visit, adding: ‘The key very much is to make sure the President of the United States can come, enjoy a peaceful and safe visit to Scotland and ensure Police Scotland is able to maintain delivery of services to the rest of the community within Scotland over the period of his visit.’
Police are working on the assumption there will be protests in Ayrshire, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Ms Bond said there is nothing at this stage to give her ‘specific concern’ about violence.
Asked for her message to those considering disruptive protest, she said ‘Police Scotland fully recognises people’s right to peaceful protest…
‘We would wish to make sure we can balance those rights against the impact on communities, on public safety.
‘I would appeal to people obviously to stay within the bounds of peaceful protest.
‘I’d be really clear however that abusive, threatening behaviour, any activity that’s intended to disrupt events or in any way that poses a risk to public safety is not legitimate protest and will potentially require an intervention by policing.’
Ms Bond said Police Scotland had been unable to pinpoint specifics of Operation Roll 2 because it does not yet know the President’s movements in detail.
She said ‘multiple venues’ are being factored into the force’s forward planning.
While she would not be drawn on whether the last-minute scheduling was hampering operational planning, Ms Bond said: ‘The specifics of the schedule will be something for the White House to manage, and we will deal with whatever comes up.
‘Policing continuously works in a world of ambiguity on occasion.’
Ms Bond said its aim was to ‘ensure that Police Scotland is able to maintain delivery of services’ to the rest of Scotland during Mr Trump’s stay – which the SPF said would be impossible due to the scale of manpower needed.
Security fences have been installed around Trump Turnberry ahead of the visit
A US Air Force C17A Globemaster aircraft was spotted at Prestwick Airport amid the preparations
Security preparations are in full flow in Scotland as it prepares for Mr Trump’s visit
All of the force’s 84 protest liaison officers will be deployed across the weekend but Ms Bond declined to comment on how many officers in total would be involved in the operation, nor the expected cost.
Mr Trump’s 2018 visit – from July 12-15 – cost Police Scotland £3,022,544, paid for by the Treasury which funded the full cost – cash that was routed through the Scottish Government to the force.
This year the cost is expected to be even higher as Mr Trump’s stay will be longer.
Officers will be working longer shifts than usual and leave over the period has been cancelled, meaning a significant investment in overtime costs will be needed.
An appeal has been made to the Police Service of Northern Ireland for additional resources over the visit and Ms Bond said her officers have had ‘direct engagement’ with the U.S. Secret Service.
Mr Trump’s course in Aberdeenshire is to hold a tournament beginning the day after he leaves Scotland and the force is also policing that event.
Today Mr Swinney said policing in Scotland will not be ‘put in a detrimental position’ because of the cost of Mr Trump’s visit.
Asked whether that funding would have to come from the already allocated policing budget, the First Minister said: ‘We’ll obviously work closely with Police Scotland on the funding of this policing operation and make sure that policing in Scotland is not in any way put in a detrimental position as a consequence of the visit of President Trump.’
