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Security for Bush will shut centre of London
Rob Singh, Crime Reporter13.06.08
One of Britain's biggest security operations will bring central London to a standstill for the arrival of George Bush on Sunday.
About 2,000 police - including hundreds of armed officers - will be deployed for the US president's brief visit. Parts of Whitehall between Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square will be shut to traffic for more than 24 hours as the huge land and air operation swings into force.
Hundreds of demonstrators from the Stop the War Coalition will converge on Parliament Square from 5pm on Sunday to protest against the president, who is visiting London as part of a farewell tour of Europe before he leaves the White House next January.
About 1,000 Met police officers will be deployed each day during the twoday visit. A Met spokeswoman said there would be a highly visible uniformed presence as well as a "large amount of covert work".
She said police had been in discussions with organisers of the Stop the War protest over their plans for Sunday. There will also be vehicle restrictions around the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square and police helicopters will be used as part of the operation.
Scotland Yard would not reveal the cost of the security operation, but it is believed to be over £1million. It rivals the £746,000 police operation around the Olympic Torch relay in April.
Today it emerged that hundreds of thousands of air passengers face delays because of the president's arrival at Heathrow. Disruption is likely to begin today as staff prepare for the arrival of Mr Bush and his entourage of seven aircraft on Sunday.
Yesterday, passengers were delayed for up to an hour after air space over Heathrow was cleared to allow a military cargo plane carrying armoured cars to land at nearby RAF Northolt.
Today four helicopters will land as part of a major rehearsal. Sources at the airport said the aircraft "flow rate" would be reduced from the usual 42 planes an hour to 24, causing an aircraft backlog of up to seven hours. On Sunday delays will be worse.
Reader views (13)
To Cazz-
This is his farewell visit I think and of course he wants all the razzmatazz and hoopla made over him. A man of tremendous EGO!!!!
After he leaves office - We here in the US will then be stuck paying for his retirement and protection for the rest of his life. Children and adults here are hungry but we have to pay some guy that totally wrecked our country and what it stands for in my opinion!!!
As for me - When this phoney leaves office, I for one will NOT be crying.
- Josephus, USA
Love him or hate him, no matter what views you all have, he is the president of the USA after all. If we cannot protect him then shame on us.
Don't worry about your hard earned taxes being spent on this, the government continually squander our money on lesser causes than this.
- Steve, London
I'm a London council tax payer. I don't see why swathes of London should be cut off for me or why my council tax should be used to protect George Bush - there are better things for the police to focus on. And to Stan(Expat) USA - I am pretty sure that a whole section of Washington or NY would not be cut off to the American public if Gordon Brown was visiting.
- Janine, London
Isn't it outrageous that even post-puppy dog Blair we still have to endure this idiot's presence with all the disruption and expense that this unwanted exercise will entail?
I agree, I hope Bo-Jo does charge the U.S. for this, especially as this ghastly little man has already cost our country immense cost in both lives, taxes and probably is at least partly responsible for the general downturn in our economy! Illegal wars are expensive shows of vanity and ignorance.. and we ALL keep paying!
- Cazz, Sussex
Well apart from the fact that he shouldn't be welcomed here, (as he is guilty of possession of WMD's, war crimes and crimes against humanity... but ooh, the USA is exempt from the international criminal court so he cant be prosecuted)...
At the very least he should be told to land at an airport which doesn't run at 95% runway capacity.
The delays caused at City, Stansted, Gatwick or Luton would be very much less.
As for the previous comment, he won his first presidential seat by fraud, and won his second one by starting a war... we all know how the American electorate love that.
- Ruairi, Ipswich, England
So ?
I'm sure Gordon Brown expects such security measures when he travels.
- Stan(Expat), USA
Please keep Bush, we don't want him here either! The real terrorists are in the White House. My God I hope more Americans and Brits wake up to what the elitists are doing to our world.
- Kelly, Salt Lake, USA
Believe me - you don't want this man anywhere near your country. He is a man of untruths, incapable of making intelligent decisions, and a willing tool in the hands of his 'hawk' advisers. He is also desperately trying to find a 'legacy' before fading into the sunset later this year. Please don't give him this opportunity.
- Ivan Mcintosh, Leamington Ontario Canada
He can stay at home. Not only do we not want him here, but he is disrupting our transport.
And for what, so Gordon Brown can act like a love sick school girl around him.
STAY AWAY!
- William Jenkins, London
We don`t need this war criminal in our city. I hope Boris Johnson will bill the Americans for the entire cost of this security farce -and it`s impact on the businesses of London.
- Simon Dewolf, London, UK
We don't want him here. I can't think of anyone who wants him anywhere. Go home Bush!
- Louise, UK
And I thought my €3,600.00 business class ticket to Australia last December was expensive.
- David Nigel Braham, Milan Italy
Bush is well worth it. At least he has been elected unlike our leader. He also sticks by his principles like hammering an illegal regime in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Mikko Takala, Drumnadrochit, Scotland
