A security alert during the King and Queen's visit to Jersey proved to be a false alarm when a suspected sniper threat turned out to be someone on a roof attempting to scare birds away.
The incident prompted an immediate response from Jersey police, who swiftly evacuated Their Majesties to the safety of a hotel.
The rapid action was part of carefully rehearsed security protocols developed over six months of meticulous planning.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hafey, who served as Silver Commander for the royal visit, coordinated the tactical response from the major incident room.
Speaking exclusively to ITV News, he revealed how officers immediately prioritised moving the royal couple to a secure location whilst firearms commanders took control of the situation.
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|A security alert during the King and Queen's visit to Jersey proved to be a false alarm when a suspected sniper threat turned out to be someone on a roof attempting to scare birds away.
"The main bit at that time is to get the King and Queen into an area where we know they're 100% safe and that happened really quickly," DCI Hafey explained.
He emphasised that the firearms officers immediately stepped into action and assumed control of the developing situation. "It was a false alarm, my understanding is someone was on a roof trying to scare some birds," he said.
When asked about the scale of the response, DCI Hafey defended the swift action taken by his team. "I don't think you can overreact in those situations because the safety of the King and Queen is paramount, all the officers involved just followed their training," he stated.
The six months of preparation had ensured the force was ready to handle any eventuality during the high-profile visit.
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|The six months of preparation had ensured the force was ready to handle any eventuality during the high-profile visit.
Inspector David Turnbull, who headed community policing and was part of the tactical planning team, described the intense pressure surrounding the visit. "The pressure was immense and I do remember not sleeping very much the night before and being in at the crack of dawn," he revealed.
As the senior officer on the ground during the sniper alert, Inspector Turnbull drew on his firearms command experience. "I was made aware of it as the main senior officer on the ground. As a Firearms Commander, I'm acutely aware of what's involved but I was able to make sure my team responded to that and did exactly what was required, without creating too much fuss or public panic," he explained.
The visit also required rapid adaptations when Their Majesties chose to walk along Mulcaster Street in St Helier rather than travel by vehicle as planned.
"We had to very quickly get additional police officers along that route because you have a different number if there is a vehicle than if they're on foot," Inspector Turnbull said. "That was a moment of quick fluster but we soon got the officers in place and they were able to walk down without any problem."
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|The visit also required rapid adaptations when Their Majesties chose to walk along Mulcaster Street in St Helier rather than travel by vehicle as planned.
Reflecting on the operation, DCI Hafey acknowledged there would always be lessons to learn but believed his team "got the majority right".
He praised the support from Honorary colleagues and other services.
"It was an honour and a privilege, stressful at times, but you rely on the training that you've had and everyone worked together as a team," he said.
For Inspector Turnbull, the royal visit marked a career highlight. "It's probably one of the highlights of my policing career," he reflected.