Massive security operation planned for G8 summit to be held at Lough Erne Hotel and Golf resort in June

THE PSNI has revealed details of the massive policing operation being mounted for next month’s G8 summit.

Chief constable Matt Baggott said on Thursday that an extra 3,600 police officers are being flown into Northern Ireland from Great Britain for the G8 summit at the Lough Erne Hotel and Golf resort.

And military aircraft and personnel will be used in support of the PSNI.

The British Security Service, MI5, is providing intelligence back-up and threat assessments for the visit from subvervise groups, both locally and nationally.

Dissident republican groups are already trying to forge closer links with anti-capitalist groups who regularly protest at G8 summit meetings around the world.

Security company G4s, which guarded over the Olympics fiasco, is one of two firms also being used at the Fermanagh location.

Mr Baggott said Northern Ireland was a “safe place to work and live”.

He said he would be doing everything to ensure “it was the most successful G8 summit in history”.

World leaders are to gather for two days at Lough Erne golf resort in County Fermanagh on 17 and 18 June.

Secretary of State Theresa Villiers said it would be one of the biggest policing operations ever in Northern Ireland.

She said there would be “mutual aid” from Great Britain and 600 security staff from G4S and others.

It will be the first time the annual summit has been held in the United Kingdom since it was at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2005.

Mr Baggott said protesters would not get within sight of the world leaders and that they would have the space to get on with their “important work”.

“Military will be providing assistance to the police during G8,” he added.

He said he had received “huge support” from police in Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and Canada.

PSNI assistant chief constable Alastair Finlay said it was possible some G8 leaders would visit other parts of Northern Ireland but nothing had been requested yet.