Eyes in the sky and patrols on the ground: securing Trump’s visit to Britain
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to make an anticipated visit to the United Kingdom later this September.
Scheduled between September 17 and 19, the visit will see Trump received by King Charles III at Windsor Castle for a formal reception and banquet. According to The Guardian, the event will be subject to heightened security measures.
The same source reported that this, Trump’s second visit to Britain, will be secured by police drones and the imposition of restricted airspace over Windsor.
Round-the-clock police patrols will be deployed in Berkshire during the event, with a temporary order restricting airspace from September 16, the date of the rehearsal, until September 18.
This means that non-police drones and small civilian aircraft will be prohibited from flying over the protected area, Thames Valley Police officers confirmed.
The extensive security arrangements will coincide with a large demonstration planned in central London on the first day of the visit by the “Stop Trump” coalition, along with another protest near Windsor Castle.
Each police drone can fly up to 120 meters (400 feet) and is expected to remain airborne for around thirty minutes, with a replacement drone taking off before the previous one lands to maintain continuous coverage.
British officers said the drones are of the DJI Matrice 30T model, already used daily in investigations involving missing persons and in operations related to drug warrants.
Inspector Matthew Wilkinson, from the Thames Valley Police Joint Operations Unit, stated: “This is an important policing operation for us. That said, Thames Valley Police is proud to host such events, and we have a strong track record of managing them for both the royal family and the country.”
When asked about the scale of the drone operation compared to other high-profile events, Wilkinson replied: “It is one of the largest operations, on par with other major events we have run as a force.”
Speaking about the airspace restrictions, the British officer emphasized: “Flying a drone in restricted airspace is clearly a crime, and we will have the resources to deal with any such breaches. We will have plenty of capability in the sky when the time comes.” He added that the drones would serve as “an eye in the sky” during the visit.
