Mark Macaskill

MORE than 2,000 police officers will be sent from England and Wales to bolster security during the G8 summit at Gleneagles this summer.

The officers – many of them trained in the use of firearms – will be stationed in Perthshire and Edinburgh to deal with any violent protests by anti- capitalist campaigners.

With the average cost of borrowing an officer running at about £17 an hour, the bill for the extra police cover will run to millions of pounds.

Mass demonstrations by anti-capitalists from across the world are expected to begin a few days before world leaders including Tony Blair, President George W Bush and President Vladimir Putin arrive for the three-day summit, which starts on July 6.

Although police leave in Scotland has been cancelled for the duration of the event, resources will still be stretched.

John Vine, chief constable of Tayside and who is in charge of security, said he would be writing to the chief constables of all 43 forces in England and Wales asking for officers to be released from their normal duties to police the event.

«The 2,000 is not a precise figure, it may be more depending on the intelligence we have nearer the time of the level of interest by protesters and the anti-globalisation people about their intentions,» he said.

«They'll be up here a few days before the summit but obviously the longer they are here, the more we pay. The bill is likely to run into several million pounds, but that is inevitable.

«I can't be constrained by cost. I need to make the arrangements I feel necessary in order to cover a range of eventualities – and that's what I'm doing.»

While Vine insists that protesters will not be confronted by water cannon and officers in riot gear, he says troublemakers will be dealt with swiftly.

«We will present a friendly face, with officers dressed normally,» he said. «But if people are coming to Scotland with the intention of causing damage or committing any criminality, our message is very simple, very clear.

«We will arrest them and put them before the courts and we will have no hesitation in doing so.»

In addition to firearms officers, Vine will ask for mounted divisions and police who are trained to search people and vehicles.

A training package, including a booklet and video, will be circulated to forces to familiarise officers with Scottish law. This will cut the risk of claims of wrongful arrests and other legal challenges.

Vine is also consulting senior officers from the Metropolitan police, the force with national responsibility for diplomatic protection, to ensure that world leaders are shielded from any terrorist threat.

Chief constables are bracing themselves for the possibility of widespread disruption. At the 2001 summit in Genoa a protester was shot dead by police and hundreds were injured. In 2003, 50,000 protesters fought running battles with police in Evian and Geneva.

Hundreds of Scots officers are being trained to handle violent protesters who throw missiles. They are also being shown how to use bolt-cutters; a popular tactic of anarchists is to chain themselves to street furniture such as railings.

Court schedules have been cleared and procurators fiscal and sheriffs will be ready to deal with the expected flood of arrests.

Last week it emerged that Westminster will contribute £20m towards the estimated £100m bill for hosting the summit.

An executive spokesman said: «The Treasury has offered £20m and we will be expected to make a contribution as policing is a devolved matter. It is too early to say what the overall costs will be.»