Police Scotland has today (Saturday, 12 October 2019) agreed to send up to 100 public order officers to London to assist with policing the Extinction Rebellion protests currently taking place in the city.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland confirmed that the officers would be deployed in the city from early next week after Chief Constable Iain Livingstone approved the request from the National Police Coordination Centre on behalf of the Metropolitan Police.
Police Scotland confirmed that any decision on mutual aid is “entirely an operational matter for the Chief Constable”.
Mr Livingstone briefed both the Scottish Police Authority Chair Susan Deacon and Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf earlier today.
During the briefing, reassurances were given that the deployment would not undermine Police Scotland’s ability to protect the public in Scotland.
Mr Livingstone, said:
“I have agreed to send a number of officers for a short time to assist with the policing of the Extinction Rebellion protests currently taking place in the city.
“The Scottish Police Federation is engaged in this process, and the safety and welfare of my officers and colleagues is paramount.
“Scotland has benefited from mutual aid in the past and will do so again in the future.
“It’s therefore appropriate that, as the UK’s second-biggest police service, we supply officers when asked to do so by other forces.”
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I hope that when/if these protesters are prosecuted they will incur the costs of their demonstrations as I, as a tax payer don’t want to.