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Extra police to be drafted in for Games extravaganza

A senior police officer has vowed to prevent criminals from hijacking the Commonwealth Games.

Chief Superintendent Andy Bates
Chief Superintendent Andy Bates

A massive police ­operation is already under way to keep Glasgow people - and the city's one million visitors - safe during the 11-day sporting extravaganza in the summer.

Officers are being drafted in from other parts of the country and intelligence gathering is under way.

Chief Superintendent Andy Bates, of Police ­Scotland, said: "I don't have any fears there will be an increase in criminality at the games - because we won't let it happen.

"During the games, the visible police presence will be high, but it will be proportionate to the number of visitors.

"We are drafting officers in from other areas of the city, and other parts of the country, including Aberdeen and Edinburgh. But I want to reassure people other parts of Glasgow, and other parts of the country, will not be striped bare of police.

"It will be business as usual in unusual circumstances."

Scores of extra officers will be on duty from the arrival of the Queen's Baton on June 14 until the closure of the athletes' village on August 5.

Training is under way for officers who will accompany the Queen's Baton when it arrives in Scotland and each officer will have to run half a marathon a day for 40 days.

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