A second man has been arrested by police on suspicion of flying a drone over Windsor ahead of Donald Trump’s state visit this week, with mass protests due to start in the coming hours.
The 37-year-old suspect from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, is in custody after allegedly breaching temporary air restrictions brought in from today as part of the massive police safety operation required for the US President’s visit.
Thames Valley Police said the man was flying a drone in the village of Datchet, not far from Windsor Castle.
It comes hours after another 37-year-old man, from Brentford in west London, was arrested on suspicion of flying a drone over Windsor Great Park.
President Trump and his wife, Melania, are due to arrive in London late this evening, before spending the next two days being hosted by the King at Windsor Castle, and at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s countryside residence, Chequers.
The state visit – President Trump’s second to the UK – has again required significant police resources and security measures, despite there being no public-facing engagements.
Regardless, Thames Valley Police officers have been boosted by a significant temporary influx of staff from forces across the country.
Indeed it is understood non-Thames Valley Police officers will make up two-thirds of the personnel involved.
And roughly 25 miles away in central London, around 1,600 officers, largely from the Met, are prepared for a mass protest involving around 50 different groups tomorrow.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Louise Puddefoot, who is in charge of the Met’s public order policing operation in London this week, said tonight: ‘Around 50 protest groups are expected to gather together in central London on Wednesday, on what will be another busy day for officers.
‘The Met is used to delivering complex and large-scale policing operations to keep the public safe, and we have a comprehensive plan in place.
‘We have been in close contact with the organisers to ascertain their intentions, and we have engaged with local businesses and community representatives to understand the impact on them.
‘We would ask all those taking part in the protest to be considerate to the local community, and ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.
‘We will approach this protest as we always do, policing without fear or favour, and ensuring that people can exercise their lawful rights, whilst being robust in dealing with crime or disorder.’
A number of road closures will be in place, allowing protesters – including supporters of the Stop Trump Coalition – to march on Parliament Square from around 2pm until 7pm tomorrow.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, campaigner Zoe Gardner said: ‘There is an enormous line between a relationship and diplomacy with the United States, and letting this toddler come here and use our country as a theme park and honouring him with a red carpet and a banquet with the King.
‘There is miles between those two positions, and what we’re doing today is shameful and humiliating for the UK.’
Further protests are planned for Windsor itself.
The Thames Valley Police officer leading the security operation said he has ‘planned for just about every foreseeable eventuality’.
Thames Valley Police Assistant Chief Constable Christian Bunt said there would be a noticeably increased police presence both in Windsor and Chequers this week.
He said President Trump’s visit already meant the ‘threat level’ was ‘very high’, but that the attack on Trump-supporter Charlie Kirk at a university campus in Utah had not meant security needed to be tightened.
Measures include crowd barriers, specialist officers and temporary restrictions for aircraft and drones.
A number of protests have been planned – despite the fact the visit is taking place away from public view.
A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: ‘We respect the public’s right to peaceful protest and are committed to facilitating lawful demonstrations.
‘Our priority is to ensure public safety while minimising disruption to the wider community.’
Earlier, newly appointed policing minister Sarah Jones praised the legions of officers from across the country involved in the security operation.
Speaking at the Police Superintendents’ Association annual conference in Stratford today, she said: ‘Tomorrow we have the President of the United States coming to this country, and who will be there making sure he is safe and everything goes smoothly, using all the best expertise that we have, all the new technology that we have to make sure that goes as smoothly as possible.
‘Policing will always be at the heart of our national life.’
