Golden Orb: This will be the security plan for the coronation of Carlos III, one of the “most important operations” in the United Kingdom

Thousands of policemen in the streets, snipers stationed on the rooftops, anti-explosive dogs in the crowd, as well as helicopters that will fly over London for an hour and modern facial scanners capable of identifying a fugitive from justice.

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These are some of the details of the Golden Orb (Golden Orb, in Spanish), as the British authorities have baptized the security plan around the coronation of King Carlos III, scheduled for this Saturday, May 6.

The security deployment has been so extensive that Security Minister Tom Tugendhat told Times Radio that “what we have been planning for several months is one of the most important security operations that has been launched in the country”.

Thousands of police officers will be deployed in London on Saturday, Sunday and Monday to guard events surrounding the coronation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom. (ANDY RAIN/)

MASSIVE DEPLOYMENT

According to the official website of the Metropolitan Police (MET, an acronym for the London police; also known as Scotland Yard), more than 29,000 police officers are expected to be deployed during the week, of which at least 11,500 must patrol the city the same Saturday the 6th and the rest will be in charge of security during the holiday decreed for the weekend and Monday the 8th.

This is the route that King Charles III and Queen Camilla will follow after their coronation at Westminster Abbey. (CNN/)

The police have spent months preparing for the most important monarchical act in British territory in the last 70 years.

Both the funeral ceremonies after the death of Elizabeth II, in September 2022, and the celebrations for her Platinum jubilee, held in February of the same year, helped the MET agents refine a solid security strategy.

The most critical point of the event, which is expected to last an hour, will undoubtedly be the parade carried out by the newly crowned King Charles III and Queen Camila, from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace.

It should be noted that the event will have some 2,000 high-profile international guests, including monarchs and heads of state.

For this reason, the police have established a 2-kilometer perimeter around the route in which the streets will remain closed and blocked with barriers against vehicles.

In the areas of Victoria, Mayfair, Whitehall and St James Park, in addition, the police will have agents infiltrated among the crowd among their ranks to be able to react in record time to any threat.

However, the work of the authorities began long before the ceremony this Saturday.

For months, the Fixation Threat Investigation Center, a specialized unit of the British police, has been dedicated to investigating all those who have some kind of obsession with the royal family.

On the other hand, all those people who arrive in London within 48 hours prior to the event will be considered as “suspicious” by the police, who will assign special agents to follow such people around the city.

The parade of the king and queen consort, from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, will be one of the most risky within the security plan.

MAIN THREATS

The British authorities divide the potential risks for the coronation this Saturday into four main categories:

Terrorism will be counteracted with special barriers installed in the streets to prevent any attack by run over; while the harassers, as we pointed out lines above, are being monitored by the authorities.

As for common criminals, among which pickpockets and sexual offenders stand out, the authorities will rely on a mixture of state-of-the-art tools and traditional practices.

On the one hand, there will be facial identification scanners and metal detector arches installed on the streets of London, but also, some police officers will be accompanied by anti-explosive dogs.

“The watch list will focus on those whose presence (…) would cause concern, including people wanted for crimes or for whom an outstanding warrant exists”, Scotland Yard reported in a statement.

As if that were not enough, two MET Blue Thunder 2 helicopters will fly over the city from the skies, while four Vulcan 68R airplanes will wait ready from a nearby air base to react to a possible threat.

This deployment will be complemented by the snipers that will be deployed on the roofs of the area of ​​interest.

ALERTS ON

Charles III’s coronation will come less than a week after police arrested a man who threw suspicious objects outside Buckingham Palace, setting off alerts at the scene.

Carlos III was not in the palace at the time but hours before he had received Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese there, in one of the monarch’s first bilateral meetings with his guests.

The incident occurred shortly before the end of Tuesday afternoon. Authorities suggested that the thrown objects were rifle cartridges. The suspect was arrested and a knife was found in his possession; however, it was ruled out that he was a terrorist threat.

In addition, the police found in their possession a suspicious package that they decided to subject to a controlled explosion so as not to take risks.

“Our intelligence services and our law enforcement agencies are fully aware of the challenges we face and are ready to meet them, as the police did yesterday (Tuesday).said Minister Tugendhat.

The Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat, assured that Saturday will be “one of the most important security operations that has been launched in the country.” (DANIEL LEAL / AFP/)

On the other hand, the British authorities are following with special interest the calls for demonstrations made by groups of environmental or anti-monarchist activists in rejection of the coronation.

The anti-monarchy group Republic hopes to gather at least a thousand people to boo the royal procession in central Trafalgar Square, but it assured that it does not intend to “absolutely” disturb their development.

The activists also denounced that the British government intends to intimidate them with the new Public Order Law, which expands the powers of the police in the face of protests and demonstrations.

The anti-monarchist group Republic has called for a demonstration parallel to the coronation of Carlos III under the name “Not my king” (He is not my king, in Spanish). (JON SUPER / AFP /)

The legislation, published on Tuesday and in force since Wednesday, establishes penalties of up to six months in prison and unlimited fines for those who chain themselves to objects or buildings as a protest measure, in addition to one year for those who “interfere with key infrastructure such as roads, airports and railways”.

Among other measures, it also allows the police to register people whom they identify as potential protesters with the intention of “cause serious interference” in the public space.

“The right to protest is fundamental and that will not change”, said in this regard a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. But “we hope the whole world will unite” on Saturday and recognize the coronation as an occasion for “national unity”, he added.

Source: Elcomercio