A POLICING team almost 10,000 strong will be deployed in South Wales for the Newport Nato summit, it’s been revealed.

The Police Federation has told its members that around 10,000 officers from England, the rest of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will join counterparts in South Wales and Gwent for the deployment.

Meanwhile the chairman of the Gwent Police Federation Jeff Mapps said that all leave has been cancelled for Gwent officers during the length of the deployment.

It is the first time that a figure has been put on the number of officers likely to take part in what has been described as the largest ever deployment of police to Wales.

According to a Police Federation newsletter, the deployment for Nato will run from August 26 to September 6.

That will encompass both the summit itself, taking place at the Celtic Manor on September 4-5, as well as the protest events which are set to take place the weekend prior.

"The mutual aid requirement is for approximately 10,000 officers," the newsletter says.

The newsletter says that while the exact location of accommodation sites for police officers can't be identified, several have been identified across South Wales and the West Country.

A joint statement from Jeff Mapps, chair of Gwent Police Federation, and his South Wales counterpart Steve Trigg, said: “This event will see the largest ever deployment of officers to Wales with the policing footprint for the summit expected to spread from the Gwent Police area across south east Wales and into south west England.”

Jeff Mapps told the Argus that the figures for the numbers of officers in the mutual aid operation are still approximate. He confirmed that all leave has been cancelled for Gwent Police officers during the deployment.

He outlined that he was working on welfare arrangements for officers, such as ensuring the quality of officers' accommodation, and contingency measures such as plans in case of a serious incident where a member of the public or an officer is seriously injured.

“Having thousands of police officers from all around the country descending on South East Wales is a big challenge for us, on top of normal day to day activities,” he added.