More than 1,000 police officers were on duty at any one time

Northumbria Police submitted a bid for funding for the three-day event at the Sage Gateshead earlier this month.

The estimated cost of policing the event was £2.8m and Northumbria Police Authority has been told by the Home Office it will get grants of £1.44m.

It will cover expenditure like security barriers, CCTV upgrades and overtime.

'Good news'

Northumbria Police has already budgeted for officers' salaries during the event.

Assistant Chief Constable David Warcup welcomed the grant.

He said: "By making a grant of this size, the Home Office acknowledges that the conference policing arrangements were pitched at an appropriate level.

"This is very good news for the people of Tyne and Wear and Northumberland who will benefit for many years from the technology and equipment which was put in place so that we could police the conference efficiently.

"This is an extremely generous grant."