Nine Thousand Cops To Patrol London 2012

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Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, of the Metropolitan Police, said the number of officers he would like to have on the streets of London in a single day would be a third more than the Notting Hill Carnival.

He insisted he wants the Olympics to be a 'blue games', policed by police officers rather than the military.

But he conceded the armed forces could provide "niche capabilties", suggesting they may ask for naval assistance for the sailing events in Dorset.

Mr Allison said Londoners would have many concerns during the Olympics and terrorism was not their only worry.

There would be issues with crime, safety hazards, crowd management and potential protests.

As part of the police and Home Office strategy, the force would like to increase the number of special officers in London from the current 2,000 to nearly 6,700.

This task, the Assistant Commissioner said, represented "a significant growth" and would be "a significant challenge", but one he believed was achievable.

This month Met Police officers will be embedded with Canadian Police during the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, in a unique project to try to learn some lessons from their experience.

The trip will cost approximately £120,000 out of the existing security and safety budget set aside for London 2012.

A Home Office spokesperson said that overall, the security plans were "on track, on budget and continuing well ahead of where planning might have been at recent games".

Sky News