Armed Officers On Patrol At 2016 Great North Run

5 September 2016, 15:42 | Updated: 5 September 2016, 16:15

Armed officers will be on patrol at this years' Great North Run.

Tens of thousands of runners will pound the pavements from Newcastle to South Shields at the weekend - and Northumbria Police say they're finalising their policing plan for the event. 

The world famous half marathon returns to the region on Sunday, September 11, and Olympic gold medal winner Mo Farah will once again line up alongside a host of elite athletes from across the world.

Police, race organisers, local authorities and the public transport providers have been working for a number of months to ensure the event passes without incident.

Northumbria Police Chief Inspector Jamie Pitt will be the silver commander for the event and says he cannot wait to welcome people to the region from nearly 200 different countries:
"This is a fantastic event and we are really looking forward to meeting competitors and spectators from every corner of the globe.

"The Great Run Company have confirmed that runners from nearly every country in the world will be participating in the race and it is a real opportunity for us to be able to showcase just how great our region is.

"A number of police officers and police staff will also be running the race and we are proud to give them our full backing as they go on their final training runs ahead of next weekend.

"Those officers on duty will be highly visible all along the race route and there will also be armed officers on patrol to reassure any visitors concerned that the event may be targeted.

"They are not their in response to any specific threat and have been very well received at other high profile events in the region including the Tall Ships, Newcastle Pride and the Sunderland Air Show.

"Our region's roads will be very busy all weekend but we have been meticulous in planning how we will manage the strategic road networks and both NEXUS and DB Regio have detail plans to ensure our Metro lines run as smoothly as possible.

"The Great North Run is such a fantastics spectacle and it fills me with pride to be able to help ensure it passes without incident. I hope everyone has a great time and if you see an officer on duty make sure you get a selfie!"