FIFE POLICE believe they have the resources and system in place to cope with the extra demands arising from talks in St Andrews this week designed to restore Northern Ireland’s devolved assembly.

The three-day summit, which is widely believed to be the last chance for many years to seal a lasting peace deal to restore devolved government to Northern Ireland, has forced police to a major security program and amend to amend working practices for a working week.

The conference is due to start on Wednesday, and will involve Tony Blair, Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and political leaders from the Province.

A police spokesman said force timetables and duties would be amended, including the possibility that some officers may have been ordered to cancel their annual leave.

But he insisted they Fife Police have a tried and tested programme in place to ensure effective security and safety during the summit.

He said, “Normally when there are major talks taking place there’s obviously an increase in demands on police personnel.

“We already have a programme in place that deals with these extra resources which will work round this summit so that our policing needs can be covered. This may involve some officers being asked to cancel annual leave.”