Big Four secure offices ahead of G8 summit
Big Four step up security in preparation for G8 Summit in Scotland
The Big Four firms are stepping up security in preparation for next week’s G8
Summit in Scotland.
Ernst & Young, Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers, which all have
offices in Edinburgh, have taken extensive advice from Lothian and Borders
Police on the expected deluge of protesters into the city.
The ‘Make Poverty History’ march on 2 July in Edinburgh is expected to be the
largest protest ever held in Scotland. Protesters are expected to stage further
events in the city, including a carnival on 4 July in the run-up to the annual
G8 summit in Gleneagles between 6 and 8 July.
The Big Four would not give details of their preparations for security
reasons. But E&Y did confirm that security at their front entrances would be
stepped up and staff were being advised to remove anything identifying them as E
&Y workers.
A spokesman for KPMG confirmed that there would be extra security measures
and said guidance had been issued to staff.
Ian Dickinson, assistant chief constable at Lothian and Borders Police,
maintained there was ‘no reason at this time’ to suspect that the protests would
be anything but peaceful. But he has asked the firms to ensure their CCTV
systems are working well and to review their emergency procedures.