Troops added to guard Olympics

Britain deploys 1,200 more after contractor comes up short

British troops arrive at the beach volleyball venue to help with security as preparations continue for the 2012 Summer Olympics on Tuesday in London.
British troops arrive at the beach volleyball venue to help with security as preparations continue for the 2012 Summer Olympics on Tuesday in London.

— Days before the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games, the British government Tuesday called up an extra 1,200 troops to help safeguard the event amid intensifying concerns over the security plan.

The decision, made by a Cabinet committee led by Prime Minister David Cameron, raises to 18,200 the total number of military personnel involved in securing the games after a failure by global security company G4S to provide the staff it promised.

The new contingent of troops had been readied last week when they were put on 48-hour standby, reduced from 72 hours.

“On the eve of the largest peacetime event ever staged in this country, ministers are clear that we should leave nothing to chance,” said Jeremy Hunt, the secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport, in a statement after the committee meeting in London. “The government continues to have every confidence that we will deliver a safe and secure Games.”

In his statement, Hunt said only that “security staffing levels at venues have been kept under constant review.”

“G4S numbers continue to rise significantly, and we have every expectation that will continue to be the case,” he added.

Government officials declined to elaborate beyond the statement or explain what had prompted the decision to authorize the additional deployment.

Senior ministers, military and police commanders, and other officials are meeting daily to monitor the security and transportation situation in London where the Olympics are expected to put a huge strain on roads and public transportation networks. Ministers are also reviewing contingency plans put in place to deal with the effect of a strike planned Thursday, the day before the start of the games, involving border agency staff.

Earlier this month the chief executive of G4S, Nick Buckles, acknowledged in a parliamentary committee hearing that his company’s failure to secure a guaranteed security staff of 10,400 had constituted a “humiliating shambles.”

Paul Deighton, chief executive of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, said the reason for the latest deployment was to “absolutely de-risk any aspect of the operation,” according to ITV News.

Deighton said the move was not a sign of private firm G4S having any further problems supplying staff. But, he added, “you can’t be absolutely certain of anything with a temporary work force. Therefore we want to substitute a temporary work force with a permanent, reliable work force that we get with the military.”

In addition to the military, police in at least eight regions have also said they would provide officers to make up the shortfall.

G4S has said it would pay for the costs incurred by the military and police because of the absence of its personnel, but the company has not agreed to forgo payment for the contract.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 07/25/2012

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