Donald Trump’s visit to Scotland will ‘undoubtedly stretch’ police resources, says chief superintendent

Donald Trump’s visit to Scotland will “undoubtedly stretch” police resources, the president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS), Rob Hay, has said.

With superintending ranks at their lowest levels in recent memory, Hay said the ASPS is concerned about the capacity and resilience of its members, particularly in times of high demand such as this summer. 

It echoes comments made by the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) earlier this week, which expressed concern about obligations to officer welfare. 

The US president is expected to arrive in Scotland on Friday and stay for five days. The White House and government officials in Scotland and the UK have confirmed he will meet First Minister John Swinney and Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the visit. 

He will also make trips to his golf courses in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire. 

Hay said: “The private visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland at the end of July will require the Police Service of Scotland to plan for and deliver a significant operation across the country over many days. This will undoubtedly stretch all our resources from local policing divisions to specialist and support functions such as contact, command and control.”     

It is expected that there will be major protests across the country, including from the Stop Trump ­Coalition, which is organising a ‘festival of resistance’. 

Hay has called for the public to be aware of the “significant demands that will be placed on policing services during this period, not only by President Trump’s visit, but also by the many popular events that Scotland hosts in the summer months, which bring thousands of tourists to our country and rely upon partnerships with policing to support their safe delivery”. 

Trump’s last visit as president in July 2018 was met with large protests in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, costing Police Scotland £3m and requiring mutual aid from other UK police forces.  

He is set to return to the UK in September for a more formal state visit, where King Charles will host him. He will not be invited to address the House of Commons, however, as it will be in recess for party conference season. 

General secretary of the SPF, David Kennedy, has described Trump’s forthcoming visit as “a recipe for disaster”, adding: “We don’t have enough cops.” 

He said the visit will mean police holidays and rest days would be cancelled, with many officers working 12-hour shifts. 

Kennedy added: “With this event, it is survival mode. That’s the mentality that will set in. 

“All this costs money, and Police Scotland’s budget is already bust. Everybody working longer hours and days has a knock-on effect for months, if not years.”