Queen’s Funeral: Britain’s Security Test

Largest policing event ever by the MET police

Daily police numbers are expected to be 10,000

1,500 military personnel will also assist 

At 6:30 pm on Thursday, 8th September, the world began to find out the only monarch most of us had ever known, Queen Elizabeth II, was dead. 

Queen Elizabeth II (1926 – 2022)

At that moment, the long leaked operation of London Bridge that was initially created in the 1960s was put into motion which is the blueprint for what would happen when the Queen died and Prince Charles became King. 

Whether you are for or against the monarchy, many Britons highly respected the late monarch, and millions are expected to want to pay their respects. 

The Queen’s funeral is considered to be a security operation of an epic scale unseen before. Of course, there have been similar operations. The death of the Queen’s father back in 1952 was known as Operation Hyde Corner, while more recent deaths of the Queen Mother and Prince Philip were known as something bridge. Tay bridge was used for the Queen Mother, and Forth bridge was used for Prince Philip. Princess Diana’s unexpected funeral was adapted from the Queen Mother’s funeral, which had been practised an incredible 22 times before being eventually implemented in 2002 for the 101-year-old former Queen. 

The funeral of Prince Philip 17 months ago was a quieter affair due to Covid restrictions

Of course, 2002 was the year following the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers, but at the time of the Queen Mother’s funeral, five years after Diana’s, London had not faced widespread terrorist attacks. Prince Philip’s funeral was a far smaller occasion due to Covid. However, the 2022 Queen’s funeral will take place with an unparalleled threat level following various terrorist attacks in the capital in recent years. 

For terrorists, the Queen’s funeral is a perfect way to create utter carnage with ultimate publicity as thousands of the general public gather and also the opportunity to attack or possibly assassinate prominent public figures. 

For security teams, the pomp and ceremony are a headache. Of course, while you could far more easily protect a president in a car with a closed roof, the Royal family want to be seen by the public and will be out on foot, in open carriages or on horses. 

Further potential issues are crowd control, crushing, and petty crime as pickpockets will be out on mass. Lone actors and fixated individuals are also a serious threat. 

Crowds such as those seen at the Jubilee are at risk of petty criminals as well as crushing

The security for the funeral is being coordinated and carried out primarily by the Metropolitan police. There may also be officers drafted from other forces and the armed services, including SAS teams. 

Officers heard on their radios while on shift last Thursday that the London bridge had fallen. And with it went already planned leave. Many officers will be expected to work 12-hour shifts as they prepare to police the capital during a period of mourning and the funeral. It’s expected that 10,000 officers will patrol each day as the mourning goes on. You can compare this to the highest other Met policing event, the Notting Hill carnival, where 6,000 officers are out in force protecting the public.

However, morale is good as the plan is so well prepared, according to Ken Marsh of the Metropolitan Police Federation. 

Marsh concurs that while the unprecedented operation will be challenging, officers are ready and willing to do their bit as they have understood for many years what this moment will mean and what is expected of them. Additionally, Marsh says that this is helped by the genuine affection held by his officers for the late Queen and the fact that they swear allegiance to the sovereign.

Morale among MET officers is high as they prepare to pay their respects to the Queen by policing the funeral

Of course, specialist intelligence, armed forces and Met officers are undertaking the security work for this colossal event. There will not be work for security guards as event personnel for the Queen’s funeral. However, with it being a Bank holiday, there will be plenty of pubs open, and you might be able to grab yourself a day’s pay if you have your licence. So don’t forget to check out our app for local gigs on the 19th Sept by using the GuardPass app. 

If you are intrigued about a security career, there are few ceilings to where you could go. 10% of security guards use common skills such as conflict management to become police officers. And around 30% of security guards become either security managers or consultants that deal with complex security issues. 

To start a security career, check out a few Get Licensed YouTube videos about the profession. If you’d like to go ahead, check out the Door supervisor’s course, which takes just six days and starts from £209.99. This could be your stepping stone into a lucrative and exciting career in security. And who knows, you could be one of those dealing with the security for major historical events like this in the future.