3,500 Extra Officers For G8

3,500 mutual Aid police officers from England, Wales and Scotland are to support the PSNI during this summer's G8 summit in County Fermanagh.

Chief Constable Matt Baggot and Northern Ireland Secretary of State Theresa Villiers confirmed the extra numbers will be on-hand to provide assistance to the PSNI during the G8, being held this year at the Lough Erne Resort, 17-18 June.

The G8 is an annual meeting of the leaders of some of the world's richest and most powerful economies; the USA, UK, Germany, Japan, Canada, Russia, Italy and France.

Chief Constable Matt Baggott said he was "deeply proud" that the PSNI had been chosen to host the G8 Summit.

He said: "This will be one of the largest policing operations ever conducted by the police service here. It is logistically huge, but we are fully prepared, we are equipped and we have the world class expertise and professionalism to support and facilitate a very successful summit.

"We will do everything we can to make sure this is the most successful G8 Summit in history."

Earlier this month, Justice Minister David Ford confirmed an entire prison block at Maghaberry jail in Northern Ireland has been set aside to house protesters convicted of disorder at the summit.

The G8 often attracts large groups of anti-capitalist groups who protest at what they see as the uneven distribution of wealth and power across the world.

But Chief Constable Baggot remains positive.

"The Summit is taking place at a time when crime is at its lowest for years," he said.

"It's actually the lowest since we started recording crime in this way in the 1990's. Confidence in policing has never been higher and that is very encouraging for us.

"Despite the continuing challenges that we face from those wedded to the past, actually Northern Ireland is a very safe place. It's a safe place to work, to live and to visit."

(IT/CD)