Government to double London 2012 Games security budget

[richard]

The Government said it was doubling the London 2012 Games security budget as the numbers of guards required to secure Olympic venues ratcheted up to24,000.

The total Games security budget will now exceed £1.1 billion after the money to protect the Games venues security budget rose by £271m. Total costs of securing the venues is now £553 million, while the Met Police Games budget for its 12,000 strong Games force is an additional £600m.

After paying for the extra security and ceremony elements, the contingency left in the £9.3 billion of Government contribution to the Games has dwindled to £528m, a quarter of its original £2.2 billion envelope.

Robertson defended Locog and the need to more than double the security numbers, which were initially estimated to be 10,000, because of the unstable international security environment, more detailed design of venues and the release of competition schedules.

"Only now have we been able to make a judgment with such detailed clarity to produce a safe and secure Games." said Robertson.

"There will be over 10 competition, training, transport and hotel locations requiring 10.5 million hours of guarding, which is 23,000 hours per day." Robertson said there would be around 2000 x ray machines, 60km of security fencing and 30 control rooms involved in the venue security operation.

He said he was as confident as he could be, within the moving shift of international politics, that there would not be a further demand on the security budget.


Source
By Jacquelin Magnay
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph