Massive security for Obama's visit tonight...

[max_tranmere]

Not too far from where I work is a building called Winfield House, it is the American ambassador's residence, and it is located on the north-west corner of Regent's Park in central London. The gates to the house open onto the Outer Circle, a ringroad that circumferences the park which is closed from midnight until 7.00am. Along the top of the park runs the Regent's Canal.

Tonight Barack Obama is visiting the Ambassador at the house, and the security laid on is some of the most extensive (and expensive) seen in London for years. Rows and rows of concrete blocks have closed off a big section of the Outer Circle road and about 100 police are in a huge falux by the next road junction at Hanover Gate (next to the Central London Mosque). Going the other way there are as many police again at the junction where the Outer Circle meets Macclesfield Bridge, the road bridge at the bottom of Avenue Road. In between these two points is a footbridge over the canal - Police and concrete blocks have closed off that bridge to pedestrians (and any potential suicide bombers I would imagine).

When Geroge Dubya visited there a few years ago all of the above things were in place, but during the evening they had rows and rows of large trucks all along the Outer Circle with gigantic spotlights on them illuminating the whole area. Each one of these lights was the size of a car, if not bigger. The area was lit up like it was daytime, the grass verges between the canal and the road were so illuminated you would have seen a mouse running from 50 metres away. There was also a helicopter hovering above nearby Primrose Hill, which you could hear all the time. I observed all of this from Prince Albert Road, the next road out from the park, which has a clear view of the gates of Winfield House. I imagine tonight we will have the trucks with the huge lights aswell, and the helicopter hovering nearby.

Does anyone resent the fact UK taxpayers have to pay for all of this? Shouldn't the American Government pay for it? In fact wouldn't it be easier for Obama to meet the US ambassador at the Embassy in Grosvenor Square, just one mile away, and save our taxes and free up the Police so they could be out catching criminals?

[Peter]

What's the situation with the serect service agents being tooled up?

I can't imagine them not being armed, so what happens if they open fire? Given their record for friendly fire, who makes the call?

[nasty]

Oh they're armed. The secret service will have full reign to open fire if they deem necessary.

[bigbigboy]

to me it is all a waste of our taxpayers bloody money- pump it into jobs for britain instead- i thank you

rant over

[andy at handiwork]

Presumably the American government pays for the security on our leader's visits to the US in exchange.

[max_tranmere]

I wandered near there this morning and the security is really on. Rows of concrete blocks closing off a large part of the Outer Circle road, Police everywhere, the footbridge over the canal near to Winfield House has two large metal blocks on it meaning you can walk across it but they are there to stop vehicles (a car could just about get across that footbridge). I think Obama is staying there tonight aswell so we will have another day of this.

[Floydoid]

cockney wrote:

> How much is the Brtish taxpayer paying? I don't know.

According to one report the extra security around central London for Obama's visit is costing in the region of ?8 million.

We should bill the US Embassy for it.