UK to restrict airspace, roads during Tinubu’s state visit to King Charles

Security will be tightened in and around the royal residencenext week as King Charles hosts President Bola Tinubu and first lady OluremiTinubu at Windsor Castle. The visit, scheduled for March 18 and 19, is the highestlevel of diplomatic engagement hosted by the British monarchy. Thames Valley Police said in a statement that extensivesecurity measures would be in place throughout the town, including a temporaryexpansion of the airspace restriction over Windsor. A permanent airspace restriction already exists aroundWindsor Castle, but the exclusion zone will be extended on March 18 from 7:00to 23:59 GMT as part of enhanced security arrangements coordinated with theCivil Aviation Authority. Adrian Hall, chief superintendent of Thames Valley Police’sjoint operations unit, said the airspace restriction forms only part of a widersecurity operation. “The air restrictions are just one part of our robustsecurity operation for the state visit of Nigerian President Tinubu next week,with many measures you will see and others you will not,” he said. “We will be taking a strong stance in enforcing therestrictions; anyone who breaches them will be committing a criminal offenceunder the Air Navigation Order and could be arrested.” Police said a large number of officers with specialistcapabilities will be deployed across Windsor during the visit. These include search teams, armed officers, mounted policeand roads policing units. It added that neighbourhood officers and teams which conductunpredictable patrols designed to deter and detect criminal activity will alsobe in town engaging the public. The police said they would make use of Windsor’s extensiveCCTV network and hostile vehicle mitigation barriers to ensure the event runssafely. “As a force, we have a vast amount of experience in policingRoyal events in Windsor and significant planning and preparation has gone intothis event,” Hall said. “We will ensure everyone attending the state visit,including dignitaries and spectators, as well as the public, are kept safe toenjoy the historic occasion.” Several road closures and parking restrictions will be inplace from March 17, with officers warning that temporary disruption couldaffect roads in and around Windsor during the visit. Some footways and pedestrian crossings in the town centrewill also close periodically between 9:30 and 12:30 on March 17 and 18 to allowfor a ceremonial procession. Police urged residents and visitors to remain vigilant andreport any suspicious activity. “The public plays a critical role to support us so weencourage them to report anything that does not seem quite right by calling 101or speaking to one of our officers,” Hall said. “If there is an immediate threat or emergency, then call999.”

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