UNITED KINGDOM: London police begin exercises to counter every possible security danger during 2012 Olympic Games

Record ID: 332541

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: London police begin exercises to counter every possible security danger during 2012 Olympic Games
  • Date: 6th July 2011
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (JULY 5, 2011) (REUTERS) OLYMPIC STADIUM
  • Embargoed: 21st July 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom, United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Crime,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAESYN71DGW8URSJ2HOKITHUP6
  • Story Text: British police have begun testing Olympic venues against all potential security dangers, including from Irish dissidents and Islamists.
    Next summer's London Games are predicted to be Britain's biggest peacetime security operation, and will be policed at severe threat level, the second-highest status.
    "This is a massively challenging event for the British police service," said Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, Olympic security co-ordinator, said from his office at Scotland Yard.
    "It will be the biggest peace time policing operation we will have done. It's not just the fact that it is a 64 day policing operation, but it is going to impact on every police service in the country, so it is a very big challenge for the service but one I am satisfied we can deliver on," he said.
    The country faces a number of potential threats, one of the most high-profile being from al-Qaeda after Britain's support of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, while dissident Irish nationalists pose a renewed challenge.
    The London Games also coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Munich Olympics, when 11 Israeli team members died after being held hostage by Palestinian gunmen.
    Home Secretary Theresa May said all planning is being done on the assumption Britain will remain on a "severe" threat level.
    "A severe threat level that we have nationally at the moment means that an attack is highly likely and everybody must remain vigilant in relation to that," she said.
    As well as the 34 venues, police will also have to make sure street parties and public events in the city's parks go ahead without disruption.
    Northern Ireland has seen an upsurge in shootings and bombings targeting police officers and soldiers during the past two years by nationalist splinter groups who want to end British rule.
    Allison said he is preparing for all possible scenarios.
    "We have taken into account all the previous terrorist attack methodologies in our planning, so the sort of things that dissident Republican terrorism and what we are currently seeing in northern Ireland - those have always been part of our planning assumptions. Recognising that terrorists could use a range of things," he said.
    Testing has so far focused on the main stadium and velodrome at the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, where police have been working with the London organising committee (LOCOG), responsible for screening spectators.
    Police tested their defensive search procedures, for example seeing how long it would take to look for hidden bombs, and improving their understanding of the venues.
    "It allows us to validate all of our planning assumptions, which I am pleased to say are coming out to be the right planning assumptions. The length of time we thought it was going to take to search the main stadium is actually the time it's taking us, so that's good news. We will continue to do this all the way up to Games time, lots of tests and lots of exercises," said Allison.
    London has been a victim of militants in the recent past. In July 2005, four young British Islamists carried out suicide bomb attacks killing 52 commuters on the capital's transport network, a day after the city was awarded the Games.
    Last Friday, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said Libyan fighters would descend on Europe "like a swarm of locusts or bees", if NATO did not halt its bombing campaign.
    Sports fans will face airport-style security before being allowed into venues, with queuing taking between 15 and 20 minutes during peak times.
    Allison has talked about drawing on certain specialist Royal Navy skills to help police the city's waterways, and using specialists from other police forces such as firearm officers, and protection and search officers.
    Armed police would be deployed in certain circumstances, but the majority of the 12,000 officers would be unarmed.
    Reports of video surveillance planes being used and jets placed on standby for any potential airborne threat are still being discussed.
    Police helicopters will be used and a secure radio network will be in place while a significant number of CCTV cameras will be installed at the Olympic Park.

    (ends)
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