Tipped to run for the Irish presidency, just who is Professor Deirdre Heenan?
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Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Police ready for Glasgow protests when Donald Trump visits
The US President is not expected to be in the city during his four-day stay but the possibility of a large demonstration in the city means officers will be ready to police a protest in Glasgow. Police said as yet they do not have any intelligence of large-scale protests being organised but officers from throughout the UK will be deployed across several locations. READ NEXT:Irish republican march to go ahead in Glasgow next month Assistant Chief Constable, Emma Bond is the Gold Commander for the policing operation. (Image: Colin Mearns) At this stage the police will be reacting to spontaneous protests. She said: 'To some extent we are still waiting to see how the protests will manifest itself. "We are aware, obviously, of events planned not related directly to the President's visit in Glasgow for example, on Saturday. 'But whenever we look back to 2018, we are very much aware there were people who came out to exercise their right to protest. 'Thousands of people came out across a range of different places. "We saw that predominantly across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Ayrshire, so we are working on the basis, as the start of our planning, that we would expect to see protest in those areas.' READ NEXT:All the latest changes to Glasgow city centre streets explained Police Scotland said it would police protests proportionately and is centred on being positive and engaged with individuals and groups She added, however: 'Let me be very clear that abusive, threatening behaviour, any activity that in any way seeks to disrupt an event or any activity that puts the safety of the public at risk is not lawful protest and there may well be consequences from a criminal justice perspective. 'It is a qualified right under Human Rights and not an absolute one and therefore there may need to be decisions taken but we will deal with every aspect of protest in the way that we do on any other day and make sure that is proportionate and seeks to balance the right to peaceful protest.' Police said they always look to engage with any groups looking to protest ahead of events to ensure a 'no surprises' policing operation. But so far, there hasn't been specific contact, either to or from any groups. ACC Bond added there is nothing at this stage to give concern. She added: "When large numbers of people gather together, there may be issues that arise. People come out and exercise their right to peaceful protest. ACC Bond said Police Scotland will be 'upfront, honest and clear' about how it polices protest.'
Glasgow Times
5 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Trump's Scotland visit will be biggest police op since Queen's funeral
The President of the United States of America is expected to fly into Scotland on Friday for a visit lasting four days. Protests are expected but police do not know where or by how many people yet. READ NEXT: Police prepared for Glasgow protests during Donald Trumps visit to Scotland President Trump is expected to visit his golf resort in Aberdeenshire and possibly Turnberry in Ayrshire. As well as the locations he will visit, police are planning for the possibility of large protests in cities including Glasgow. ACC Emma Bond, Gold Commander for the operation, was asked if it was the biggest operation since the Queen's funeral in 2022. She said: 'I think it probably is.' (Image: Colin Mearns) The officer said she has been focused on delivery but said it was a significant operation involving officers from across the UK. READ NEXT: Irish republican march to go ahead in Glasgow next month ACC Bond was not prepared to go into the exact number of officers or the cost of policing the visit. She said: 'It is a large-scale complex operation. 'We will use a combination of local officers, officers from our national divisions, we are also making use of our special constables as part of our deployments and for some of the specialisms we have also asked for support from wider UK policing colleagues. 'The key is to make sure the President of the United States can come and enjoy a peaceful and safe visit to Scotland and ensure that Police Scotland is able to maintain delivery of services to the rest of the communities in Scotland over the period of his visit.' Operation Unicorn, the Scottish element to the Queen's funeral was deployed because she died at Balmoral, cost more than £15m and 15,000 officers were deployed in the days between the late Queen's death and the funeral, which involved events in Scotland. She said there are multiple venues factored into the policing plan. ACC Bond added: 'This will become a significant cost and we are working with Scottish and UK Government colleagues.' 'Specifics of the schedule are for the White House to determine. I'm confident we have a plan in place to balance peaceful protest and manage disruption to the wider public.'
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Tipped to run for the Irish presidency, just who is Professor Deirdre Heenan?
A potential candidate for the Irish presidency, the 58-year-old from Co Down — a familiar face in the media on this side of the border at least — was educated at Banbridge Academy.
