Hundreds of police officers from Scotland and England will practice rapid deployment in Northern Ireland in the event of disorder arising from a no-deal Brexit, The Guardian newspaper reported Thursday.
According to the UK-based media outlet, the plans were put in place after Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chiefs asked for “reinforcements to deal with any trouble that arises from a hard border.” The drills for almost 1,000 officers are reportedly expected to begin this month.
On 11 December, UK Prime Minister Theresa May postponed the vote on her Brexit deal, which led to a vote of no confidence in May later in the week. Though she won the vote on her fate as leader, the future of the agreement is still unclear, and the no-deal scenario remains possible.