Security plans well underway ahead of Conservative Party Conference in Manchester

Greater Manchester Police and partners are gearing up for the four – day event at Manchester Central Convention Complex, from Sunday 1 October – Wednesday 4 October 2023, which will see thousands of extra people in the city.

Codenamed Operation Protector, GMP will oversee the safety and security of this year’s event.

A message from Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes.

“This is a major event for the city and over the last twelve months, our officers have been preparing to welcome the thousands of visitors and delegates coming to enjoy the conference.

“GMP and partners are highly experienced in running the large-scale security operations required to manage events such as this and have hosted the Conservative Party Conference many times over the years to great success.

“The multi-agency response includes Greater Manchester Police and dedicated partners from Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, Manchester Central Convention Centre, other blue light services, colleagues from other police forces and the military.

“As part of Operation Protector, you will see additional officers carrying out high visibility patrols in the lead up to and during the conference. We will also have a number of armed officers out on patrol.

“As always we are expecting a number of peaceful demonstrations to take place over the course of the event and are working closely with conference organisers and partners to ensure demonstrations take place with minimal disruption to the wider public.

“GMP will always seek to facilitate the right to peacefully protest, we will not stand for any incidents of intimidation or abuse, and officers will take swift, appropriate action against anyone breaking the law.

“We welcome regular communication between ourselves, delegates and members of the public and I would ask anyone who has issues raise them directly to one of our many officers at the conference, so that we can address concerns immediately and take effective action.

“Finally, I’d like to welcome all of our guests to Manchester, I hope you all enjoy your time in our vibrant, friendly city.”