President Donald Trump's upcoming trip to meet British Prime Minister Theresa May could include a trip to his golf courses in Scotland, a move that could cost the local police $6 million, The BBC reports.
"I do have to stress that we do not have final confirmation that the president of the United States will actually include any specific engagements in Scotland," interim chief constable Iain Livingstone told the BBC this week, "however we do have to prepare for such an eventuality, and I consider it's my duty in my current role to ensure that we prepare contingencies" for "a wide variety of policing factors," including "the deployment-appropriate security measures that would be required for the president of the United States as a protected person."
He added, "We estimate at this time – and very much dependent on the specific nature of the potential visit – that we will have to utilise over 5,000 conventional officers, along with public order officers, specialised search and firearms resources."
Livingstone also expressed concern about the cost of the trip, should Trump take one to Scotland, which the Scottish Police Federation has asked the UK government for help paying for.
"It is simply iniquitous to expect [Police Scotland] to pick up the costs for this at the same time as additional central government funding is being made available to cover the exceptional costs the police forces in England and Wales will incur for their part in policing the visit," general secretary Calum Steele said.
"The argument that policing in Scotland is devolved and must therefore meet its own costs is disingenuous," he added. "President Trump is not visiting to meet the Prime Minister of England. His visit is in an official capacity to the United Kingdom."
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