Major preparations have already been made for Wednesday 4th December when head of states will come together to discuss defence matters.

The United Kingdom will host this year’s meeting at The Grove Hertfordshire for all involved to discuss important matters regarding the alliance of all countries within NATO who provide the military support we  have today. It will also mark the 70th anniversary of NATO, with media and press coverage being high and security measures being raised to make sure no chances are taken with these valuable public figures. The meeting is more than likely going to take place throughout the whole day, with different state members travelling to and from the venue with their own discreet plans. We have already noticed preparations near the venue with helicopters and other forms of military aircraft flying within the exclusion zone and are more than likely to see more police and other forms of high-profile activity during these last final days leading up to this Wednesday. Ahead of the day, there is also set to be an evening event at Buckingham Palace on the 3rd December for which head NATO members will meet for the first time in a while.

NATO are an international organisation involving the alliance of 29 European and North American states. NATO is highly involved in political and military matters to provide justice and security for all countries and to ensure that this link is kept so that we can develop new ways to respond to threats and deal with multinational operations together.  Around 40 non-member countries currently work with NATO to tackle the same issues as with any other alliance however, they do not have the same authority in decision making as members do. Some landmarks for NATO are well known such as the implementation of Article 5 to broaden and tighten security after the 9/11 attacks and also in 2010, when the Strategic Concept was created to ensure everyone involved played an active part in modern defence. NATO are currently operating in Afghanistan and Kosovo as well as supporting the African community. 

At the event we are likely to see our host Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the notorious president of the United States Donald trump and certainly,  members of other European states.

Without a doubt, security will be ramped up to its complete highest, with road closures being the foremost of problems for people passing the area. A large majority of paths, canals and main roads will be on lockdown until the event has been drawn to an end on the 5th, with no way of the public getting access to any of these areas before then. Concrete blocks and fencing have already been put in place near Langleybury Lane and Grove Mill lane.

The main closures will be as follows with local police forces being on standby to help ease the stress of getting past them:
 

  • Langleybury Lane, at the junction with A41 Watford Road and Old House Lane
  • Fir Tree Hill, at the junction with Grove Mill Lane and Redhall Lane
  • Old House Lane, at the junction with Bucks Hill
  • Grove Mill Lane, at the junction with A411 Hempstead Road

The closures stated will be in place all day for the 3-4 days and may be subject to changes depending on the situation with the live event at the time.

Hertfordshire police commented:

"Whilst it is inevitable that such a high profile event will cause some disruption, we aim to ensure that any impact on the local residents is kept to an absolute minimum and will be working closely with our partners to achieve this. 

We are sharing information ahead of the event in order to allow residents the time to plan accordingly and mitigate the impact it may have on their day to day lives."

The majority of these closures will have pre planned diversions for the public. Hertfordshire police are doing their absolute best to make sure that the majority of people will not be affected. However, if you do feel you may be affected in any way by these closures, don’t hesitate to visit herts.police.uk for more detailed information. Abbots Langley police station will also be open for any queries concerning the event and in any urgent circumstance, call 101 for the best possible option. 

Josh Dear