Police already in training for London 2012

With the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games now less than two years away, the planning to ensure a safe and secure Games is progressing well.

The recent exercise ‘Citius Torch’ (after the Olympic motto – Citius, Altius, Fortius – faster, higher, stronger) was a vital step forward in testing that planning and is the first of a series of national Olympic security exercises.

Opened by Seb Coe, Chairman of the London 2010 Organising Committee (LOCOG), the two-day table-top exercise, held in central London, presented a series of developing scenarios – from the combined effects of a heat wave and traffic problems through to a terrorist attack.

Testing coordination
Exercise ‘Citius Torch’ sought to test the new national coordination and communication systems required for 2012. This included understanding the command chain, examining the required links between the new National Olympic Coordination Centre (NOCC) for safety and security, government, LOCOG and other key elements such as transport and intelligence. While the scenarios were fictional, the scale of the challenge come 2012 is clear; the Games will require the biggest peacetime policing operation ever.

The exercise benefited from contributions of visiting members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, including Assistant Commissioner Bud Mercer, who led the successful security operation for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games earlier this year.

The Olympic Torch Relay will travel the entire country requiring a security operation throughout its journey ahead of the opening ceremony and main events, for which over 10 million tickets will be available for venues across the UK. 11 individual police forces will host an Olympic venue or village and every police force will be required to contribute resources through mutual aid arrangements.

Proven track record
Despite the challenge, the police and other emergency services have a proven track record in delivering major events, but the scale and impact of the Games requires a national approach to planning and coordination. Exercise ‘Citius Torch’ was the first stage in making sure that all involved are working together to deliver a safe and secure London 2012 Games.

Speaking after the event, assistant commissioner Chris Allison, Olympics lead for the Metropolitan Police and the Association of Chief Police Officers and who will become the National Olympic Security Coordinator come Games-time, said: “First and foremost, the London 2012 Games will be a fantastic sporting event enjoyed by athletes and spectators alike, but it does pose a challenge to the Police Service and our partners; one which we are committed to getting right first time.

“Two years out, Exercise Citius Torch was our first major opportunity to test the roles and responsibilities of the various partners and to test how we will work together. It has proved that our planning is going in the right direction but, as in all exercises, also helped highlight areas for refinement. Our focus is to keep people safe and secure, to be ready for any scenario and to ensure that the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012 are a great sporting celebration.”

Large scale security operation
The 2012 Games will be the largest ever peacetime security and policing operation in the UK. It was against the scale and complexity of this event that in April 2008, ACPO established the Olympic Business Area (OBA), headed by Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, who is also head of MPS Central Operations, to lead the development of capacity, capability and coordination, and to facilitate operational delivery of the policing operation in support of the Olympic Security Programme.

In September 2009, ACPO Cabinet and MPS Management Board approved the formation of a joint ACPO/MPS Olympic & Paralympic Policing Coordination team – the OPC; an alliance of the roles of ACPO Olympic Business Area and the elements of national planning within the MPS.

The event celebrations begin with the torch relay in May, with the games themselves opening on 27 July 2012 and going right through to 9 September. Together the Olympic and Paralympic Games will see around 14,700 athletes from 205 countries competing at venues in London and around the UK. Approximately eight million tickets will be sold for the Olympic Games, with another two million for the Paralympic Games.