ROYAL VISIT TO CANTERBURY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27226, 18 December 1953, Page 9

ROYAL VISIT TO CANTERBURY

ONEROUS DUTIES FOR POLICE BIG REINFORCEMENTS NEEDED During the stay of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in Christchurch next month, there will be about 200 policemen in Christchurch on Royal visit duties. Police will come from Wellington, Nelson, Greymouth, Timaru, Dunedin, and Invercargill to' augment the force in the Christchurch I police district, and every available man | in the Christchurch district who is not! required to maintain normal services; will assist.

Police planning for the Royal visit; to Christchurch is being directed by Senior-Sergeant A. B. Collinge. In June, he made a preliminary survey,; and after the air race in early October, I he began planning in earnest. This week, he is working on draft duty rosters.

Before the Christchurch visit begins, every policeman will have a 6opy of instructions giving complete details of what is expected of him. Senior-Ser-geant Collinge said this week that arrangements would be complete as was hurpanly possible. He has had to make police arrangements for other big events —including the Coronation procession and the air race—but this he says is his biggest assignment and the most complex, in that events and functions follow 50 closely on one another. Week’s Responsibilities The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be in the Christchurch police district for little short of a full week. They will enter the district when their train runs through Springfield on the afternoon of Monday, January 18, and they will not leave the district till they pass through Rangitata by road, after visiting “Longbeach,” on the morning of Monday, January 25. Police responsibilities will begin in earnest when the Royal couple make their first stop in Canterbury at Darfield, a few minutes before 5 p.m. on, Monday, January 18. At each of the overhead foot bridges

on the rail route—at Sockburn, Islington, and Addington—there will be a constable on duty a few minutes before the Royal train passes, to ensure that no person is on the bridge; and policemen will be posted at points where the railway line crosses main roads —at the Main South road at Sockburn, Lincoln road, and Colombo street—to help the crossing-keepers. Arrival in Christchurch About 42 hours before the Queen and the Duke reach Christchurch on January 18, the first police will begin to move into position on the routes that the Royal couple will follow from the Christchurch railway station to the Clarendon Hotel. The police will supervise members of the public arriving eacly to line the route, and they will prevent the parking of vehicles on the Toute.

Senior-Sergeant Collinge said that the route would be lined on both sides over its whole length by members of the armed services, standing at intervals of about three feet, and at strategic points there would be rope barriers. At various fixed points along the route there would be urst-aid posts, manned by the St. John Ambulance Brigade, and provision had been made for ambulances and the Fire Brigade to enter the route at a particular point should the need arise. During the visit a fire unit and an

ambulance unit will be stationed at the Clarendon Hotel for immediate dispatch to any point on a route being taken by the Royal party. From about 3 p.m. on January Id until 10.15 a.m. on Friday, January 22, vehicular traffic will be excluded from an area about the Clarendon Hotel. Closing of Streets Oxford terrace will be sealed off at the intersection with Hereford street, and Gloucester street and Worcester street will be closed for traffic between Cambridge terrace and Cathedral square. Where possible, pedestrian traffic will be allowed along the footpaths in the sealed-off area, so that the public may reach shops and busi-

nesses. Shops and businesses in this area would unavoidably be penalised, said Senior-Sergeant Collinge, but at least Tuesday, January 19, would be a public holiday. Members of the public assembling for the Royal Christchurch Musical Society’s performance for the Queen at the Clarendon Hotel at 8 p.m. on January 18 would have to gather on the Cambridge terrace side of the river, said Senior-Sergeant Collinge. Tuesday, January 19, will be one of the biggest days for the public. The first police will go on duty at 7 a.m.. and it is expected that some may still be working at midnight. While the Queen is at the civic reception in the Square at 10.15 a.m. police will be moving into position on Oxford terrace, along which the Queen will travel later in the morning to th'e Christchurch Public Hospital. With a great crowd in the Square spilling back into Oxford terrace, SeniorSergeant Collinge foresses that some of his men may not be able to reach their new positions on time, and he has made provision for such a situation.

Visit to Hospital At the hospital policemen will patrol the fence line between Hagley Park and the hospital and the river bank from Antigua street to the north boundary of Hagley Park, to ensure that unauthorised persons do not enter the hospital grounds. Boats will not be allowed on the river. The foot • path beside the hospital, from Antigua street to the nurses’ home, will also be kept clear of the public. The outpatients’ department at the hospital will be open to deal with any casualties among onlookers.

The police will have further duties when the Queen and the Duke visit the Disabled Servicemen’s Re-estab-lishment League training centre at Riccarton in the afternoon, and attend evensong at the Christchurch Cathedral ana the civic dinner in the evening. When the Duke goes to the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Beath’s on Wednesday, January 20, Colombo street from Cashel street, to Lichfield street will be closed to traffic during the period of the luncheon. Although Beath’s shop will be open for business as usual, parts of the premises—the front entrance, the lounge, and the dining-room—will be xept clear of the public.

Preparations for Garden Party As early as 7 a.m., police will begin duty at the Botanic Gardens to disI courage unauthorised persons seeking Ito take up positions for the Royal garden party. Policemen will take up ! posts at the bridges and gates leading i into the gardens, and there will be • motor-cycle patrols round the outskirts of the grounds. The river will .be closed to boats all day. I When the Royal couple go to Addington for the trotting meeting on (Thursday, January 21, the route along which they will travel will be closed half an hour previously, but traffic (crossing the route will be allowed to (proceed until about 10 minutes before, the Royal car is scheduled to pass. 1. Again in the afternoon, the route will be closed from shortly after 4 p.m. until the Royal party returns to the. Clarendon Hotel. At the trotting grounds, the police will have guard duties to perform, and they will again be on duty when the Queen and Duke attend a film screening at the Regent Theatre in the evening. Patrols on South Road On Friday, January 22, the police will patrol 184 intersections on the route by which the Royal party will travel from Christchurch to Burnham 'Military Camp, Ashburton, and “Longbeach.” Before the Royal party leaves for the south, three buses, laden with policemen, and police cars will set out along the route, and will leave a constable at each intersection between Christchurch and Burnham. When the Royal party has reached Burnham, the constables will be picked up again, and stationed at intersections along the route from Burnham to Ashburton. This procedure will be later -repeated on the route between Ashburton and “Longbeach.” The police will be assisted in this work by Royal New Zealand Air Force provosts, who will help from January 20 to January 22 with crowd and traffic control, and by 14 officers of the Transport Department, who will be on duty at Riccarton and Ashburton. A road block will be established on the Main South road at Burnham Military Camp at 9' a.m. There drivers will be warned that they must reach Christchurch by 9.45 a.m., or they will be turned off the road at a suitable intersection. At 9.30 a.m., all northbound traffic will be stopped at Burnham, but it will be able to proceed by way of Lincoln. Traffic across the route will be allowed to continue until 10 minutes before the Royal party passes. Ashburton Traffic At Ashburton, north-bound traffic \ will be warned at 11.30 a.m. that it must not go beyond Rakaia, and at noon all north-bound traffic will be stopped at the intersection of West street and Racecourse road, at the ; north end of the borough. ’ A police party will travel to Ashburton by train in the morning of ’ January 22 to help .the Ashburton ’ police with supervisidh of the crowd ■ expected to attend-the welcome to the > Queen in the Domain.

While the Queen and the Duke are staying at “Longbeach,” the home of Mr and Mrs J. H. Grigg, a 24-hour guard will be maintained on the outskirts of the property to discourage sightseers. Road blocks will be set up, and patrol cars will be used. Thirtynine police will be stationed at Ashburton during the Queen’s stay in the county. On Monday, January 25, the day when the Queen and the Duke will leave the Christchurch police district, 42 road intersections and bridges between “Longbeach” and Rangitata will be patrolled. While the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are in Christchurch, the 36 vehicles in the Royal motor fleet will be under constant police supervision at the Public Service Garage, Peterborough street.