POLICE Scotland officers will be deployed to London to assist in the policing of the Queen's funeral, the force confirmed.

It is not yet known exactly how many officers will make their way to the UK capital on Monday 19 September.

Hundreds of thousands of people have descended on London to queue to see the Queen's coffin as it lays in state, with up to 400,000 people expected to turn up to pay their respects.

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A spokesperson for the force said: "Mutual aid officers were deployed in Scotland under the command and control of our chief constable, Sir Iain Livingstone, to keep people safe as part of UK policing's response to the death of Her Majesty The Queen.

"The chief constable has also approved the deployment of Police Scotland officers to support the policing of Her Majesty's funeral in London."

The event will be the first state funeral since Winston Churchill's in January 1965. 

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Police Scotland has come under fire for the arrests of anti-monarchy protesters at King Charles proclamation in Edinburgh on Sunday.

Scottish politicians called the arrests "deeply troubling", with human rights groups and lawyers also voicing concern. 

Meanwhile, Labour leader Keir Starmer has told republican activists to show "respect" and not to "ruin" it for those mourning the Queen.