UNITED KINGDOM: Culture, Media and Sport Minister Jeremy Hunt says Britain guarantees a 'safe and secure' Olympic Games, despite troops and police having to replace missing security staff

Record ID: 330917

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Culture, Media and Sport Minister Jeremy Hunt says Britain guarantees a 'safe and secure' Olympic Games, despite troops and police having to replace missing security staff
  • Date: 19th July 2012
  • Summary: LONDON, UK (JULY 19, 2012) (REUTERS) MEDIA CENTRE IN OLYMPIC PARK, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT MINISTER JEREMY HUNT AMONG THOSE WALKING INTO ROOM NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS JOURNALISTS SOUNDBITE (English) BRITISH CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT MINISTER JEREMY HUNT SAYING: "The world can be absolutely certain that we will deliver a safe and secure Olympics, it has always been our number one priority. It is a huge project doing an Olympic games, the biggest sporting event on the planet, and from time to time you do have a contractor who lets you down, we were let down very badly, but we always had a robust back up plan in place which we are now activating, and we are continuing to monitor the situation on a daily basis." VARIOUS OF MILITARY IN OLYMPIC PARK SOUNDBITE (English) BRITISH CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT MINISTER JEREMY HUNT SAYING: "We are incredibly lucky in this country to have fantastic armed forces who have always been part of our back up plan in case G4S were not able to deliver on their contract. All the information I have had is that the troops who are helping to make this a successful Olympics are very enthusiastic about what they are doing and delighted to be a part of it and we are certainly very delighted to have their help." VARIOUS OF OLYMPIC PARK SOUNDBITE (English) BRITISH CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT MINISTER JEREMY HUNT, SPEAKING ABOUT POSSIBLE INDUSTRIAL ACTION, SAYING: "We would be very disappointed if it actually came to that, and if the unions chose to strike during an Olympic period, I am absolutely confident that Olympic plans would continue and we would be able to minimise any disruption, but it would be completely out of tune with the mood of the British public. This is a moment when Britain wants to show its best face to the world and that is what the vast majority of the public want as well, and I would strongly counsel any unions thinking of disrupting this very important period, I think they would lose huge amounts of public support if they really tried to do this." NEWS CONFERENCE CONTINUES SOUNDBITE (English) BRITISH CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT MINISTER JEREMY HUNT SAYING SAYING: "But I think it has been an encouraging first week, and I think it is very important that people understand that of course you are going to have a few hitches on a project of this scale, but actually things have gone pretty smoothly and the athletes are getting a great welcome in the Olympic village and I think morale is very high." NEWS CONFERENCE ENDS
  • Embargoed: 3rd August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA1NU1T60PDMZCPI1C1WA0CPTAY
  • Story Text: Britain will deliver a "safe and secure" Olympics despite issues with security in the run up to the games, the minister in charge said on Thursday (July 19).
    Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, also warned unions considering strike action during London 2012 that they would not have the support of the public.
    Headlines ahead of the games - which start on July 27 - have been dominated this week by a shortfall in security staff provided by private contractor G4S.
    The government has drafted in the armed forces to plug the gaps, but speaking at a briefing in the Olympic park, Hunt played down fears security would be undermined.

    "The world can be absolutely certain that we will deliver a safe and secure Olympics, it has always been our number one priority," he said.

    "It is a huge project doing an Olympic games, the biggest sporting event on the planet, and from time to time you do have a contractor who lets you down, we were let down very badly, but we always had a robust back up plan in place which we are now activating, and we are continuing to monitor the situation on a daily basis."
    Hunt added that despite the army providing troops at short notice, soldiers and other military personnel were happy to help out.

    "We are incredibly lucky in this country to have fantastic armed forces who have always been part of our back up plan in case G4S were not able to deliver on their contract," he said.

    "All the information I have had is that the troops who are helping to make this a successful Olympics are very enthusiastic about what they are doing and delighted to be a part of it and we are certainly very delighted to have their help."
    The games will start next Friday (July 27) with the threat of strikes from a number of different unions looming, but Hunt said he believed the games would pass off without industrial action.

    "We would be very disappointed if it actually came to that, and if the unions chose to strike during an Olympic period," he said.

    "I am absolutely confident that Olympic plans would continue and we would be able to minimise any disruption, but it would be completely out of tune with the mood of the British public.

    "This is a moment when Britain wants to show its best face to the world and that is what the vast majority of the public want as well and I would strongly counsel any unions thinking of disrupting this very important period, I think they would lose huge amounts of public support if they really tried to do this."
    And he also said that despite the negative press coverage, everything was in fact progressing as planned.

    "I think it has been an encouraging first week," he said.

    "I think it is very important that people understand that of course you are going to have a few hitches on a project of this scale but actually things have gone pretty smoothly and the athletes are getting a great welcome in the Olympic village and I think morale is very high."
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