Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, located at Faslane, Scotland, is home to the UK's strategic nuclear deterrent and since October 2006 protestors have been conducting a continuous protest outside the base in an attempt to disrupt daily business.
The protestors aim to carry out a year long protest, known as Faslane 365, and already they have staged 200 'lock-ons' whereby they chain themselves to fences, or pieces of pipe they bring along, and even to each other, in order to blockade movement in and out of the base.
A spokesperson at Clyde said:
"They come up with all kinds of ingenious ways to make themselves unmoveable and cause as much disruption as possible."
But the Ministry of Defence Police's (MDP) Protestor Removal Team (PRT), or 'Cutting Team' as they are colloquially known, has been set up to deal with the problem and they are fast developing their skills with all this practice, helping to minimise the disruption caused to the local community.
Chief Inspector Jim Gillen, Deputy Senior Police Officer at Clyde, said:
"No other police force is able to provide this service at this level and forces from throughout the UK have been coming to Faslane to train with them."
The PRT is based at Faslane where it was founded to complement the long-established Divisional Support Group (DSG) who are based at the nearby Royal Navy Armament Depot at Coulport, where the Trident Weapon System is maintained, and has long since been a key site for protestors.
Between the two groups protests are now handled quicker than ever before.
The PRT's Sergeant Ian Laird explained:
"There have been more than 200 lock-ons to date during Faslane 365, and we have been responsible for removing around a quarter of these, as well as giving support.
"As we're in Faslane we are usually first on the scene and are able to do the initial analysis of the situation while the DSG is on its way. And if they are deployed elsewhere we take the lead."
The PRT was set up in 2004, initially learning to deal with the removal of chains and pipes from protestors. Sergeant Laird, a former DSG member, said:
"We gradually got equipment to combat various protestor techniques. Obviously we are constantly training to keep as up-to-date as possible with protestor lock-on techniques and we now also deal with concrete and metal."
Paramount in the cutting process is safety, ensuring protestors remain unhurt. Experience and expertise ensure that this is at the forefront of every removal.
Sergeant Laird continued:
"We have a duty of care to protestors and they are offered various items of personal protection while we undertake the cutting. Earmuffs, glasses and Kevlar blankets are all part of the protective kit on offer. They are quite at liberty to turn down these pieces of equipment but they're always offered. We can also deploy generators and lighting to allow us to work in any conditions."
At the moment the PRT does not deal with protestors at height – for example, using tripods, which is DSG's responsibility – but plans are in the pipeline to acquire these specialist skills.
Chief Inspector Gillen expressed his admiration for the team saying:
"Since transferring to Clyde, Sgt Laird has been instrumental in training the team. During the current protests major disruption to the base and the surrounding community has been minimised by their swift action. Just this week they dealt with an incident on the A814 in around 10 minutes – five years ago the likelihood was the road would have been closed for hours.
"We are delighted that the Captain of the Base, Captain David Dickens, has agreed to support the purchase of new equipment to deal with the more complex protest methods which will allow the unit to develop still further."