Councillor calls for additional police for events such as TRNSMT

A Glasgow councillor is calling on the Scottish Government to increase funding for Police Scotland to reflect the need for additional enforcement during events like TRNSMT.

Baillie Kevin Lalley will present his motion to elected members later this week following concerns that music festivals like TRNSMT and Celtic Connections are pulling police from their regular duties.

Glasgow hosts a growing number of large-scale cultural, sporting and entertainment events each year, including Summer Sessions at Bellahouston Park, major football matches, and other large-scale unofficial events.

These events are often planned well in advance, are recurring in nature, and take place most frequently during the spring and summer months.

The motion reads: “Council further notes that policing these events requires the redeployment of significant Police Scotland resources.

“As a result, officers are frequently moved away from routine duties and neighbourhood policing in communities across the city.

“This has the effect of leaving smaller communities with reduced police coverage at times when residents reasonably expect a visible and accessible local police presence.

“Council recognises that the policing demands associated with major events in Glasgow are predictable, recurring and increasing in scale, and that these pressures require long term and strategic resourcing rather than reliance on short term redeployment from neighbourhood policing teams.”

Bailie Lalley’s motion also acknowledges the importance of major events to Glasgow’s economy, cultural life and national profile, and recognises that ensuring public safety at these events is essential.

He is asking council to recognise that the current level of police resourcing does not adequately reflect the disproportionate pressures placed on policing in cities such as Glasgow, which host a significant number of national and international events each year.

The motion continues: “Council is concerned that continued pressure on police resources risks undermining neighbourhood policing, reducing reassurance for residents, and weakening community confidence in public safety during periods of high demand.

“Council therefore agrees to write to the Scottish Government calling for increased and sustained funding for Police Scotland to reflect the additional and ongoing demands associated with policing major events in Glasgow.

“Council further agrees to request that future police funding settlements take account of the unique pressures faced by cities that host large scale events, and to seek engagement with Police Scotland on how neighbourhood policing capacity and community reassurance can be maintained during major event periods.”