Criminal Justice Management

Well Prepared

The Olympic Security Strategy has been drawn up so that everyone involved from ticket holders to athletes and construction workers can enjoy the events across 64 days in safety and in confidence. Members of the Olympic Security Directorate are confident that as the UK excels in managing major events both safely and securely then it will be building upon the knowledge which already exists for the 2012 games.

Ben Fletcher, head of policy and communications within the Home Office’s Olympic Security Directorate, explained how the protection will be achieved. “In terms of participants, we are working very closely with the Olympic organisers and the London organising committee. The wider government operation and the measures taken in the accreditation process are extremely effective,” he said.

“There is an extremely harmonious relationship involving all parties which leads to a very thorough and robust accreditation system and in that respect, we will be working very closely to ensure that we mitigate any threats.”

Strong defences

In relation to border control, there has been significant activity as new technology and methods are being introduced regardless of the Olympics. Fletcher said that these improvements will be in place by summer of 2012 and certainly anyone who comes for the Olympics “will be subject to the same scrutiny prior to departure and arrival in the UK that you would expect. We are very clear that the Olympics doesn’t actually require any easing up of security, it requires a deliberately strong message and strong arrangements that are in place today to be improved upon by 2012.”

Fletcher has no concerns about the numbers of people arriving in the UK as many people arrive in this country every year. He expressed his confidence that as London is a major tourist attraction already the system at Heathrow Airport will not be under any increased pressure.

It is important for Olympic security that they do not invest in new methods of technology because those who work in the operational command rings need to be confident with what they are using as do officers working in the field. Olympic security will therefore be utilising technology which is already in place and used on a daily basis.

“What we are aiming to do is to focus on proven and effective technology under the pressure of the Olympics. It is not new territory. We manage big sporting events on a daily basis and is therefore really important that when we are testing them over a much longer and sustained period for 64 days, as opposed to over a bank holiday event like the Notting Hill Carnival, people who are actually in an operational role are using technology that they are completely familiar with,” said Fletcher.

The security directorate has a close relationship with the Home Office as well as operationally with the Metropolitan Police. These relationships have developed through management of some of the biggest policing events in the world such as the yearly Notting Hill Carnival and the G8 summit at Gleneagles which has fed into their learning, planning and delivery of services.

“We have those clear relationships in place so we can learn. We are also very close to the people who are organising the Vancouver Winter Olympics where there are many similarities in terms of the structures that they operate within,” said Fletcher.

Strengthening relationships

The directorate is hoping to maximise the benefits within the existing relationships as well as additionally make links with the private sector which they have started to make through arrangements of coordination in different control activities in command centres.

There will be a significant role for the private sector in “the delivery of security preventions ranging from stewarding to the search arrangements of the perimeter. What is very important is that the arrangements will be structured through existing contracts through existing procurement arrangements and lastly through individual venues working within the parameters of our strategy and their concepts of operations,” added Fletcher.

When asked about how the Olympic Park Neighbourhood Team will engage with local communities in and around the Olympic park, Fletcher said that there will be a community engagement project of which the directorate will be jointly working on with the police. “What we will be doing with the police, with the local authority and the extremely important partners is giving them all the information they need so that they can be very clear what the impact of the games is, what the opportunities are, whether to get involved and messages of reassurance. This is so that everyone is clear about what we are doing and when we are doing it and that we have their best interests very much at heart whilst providing that central communication and coordination role.”

The directorate is in no doubt that that they are prepared for the games and hope that it runs smoothly as they continue to build multi-agency relationships. Fletcher lastly added: “We are there to ensure that people can travel and have a good time and not feel worried. This is a sporting event that has a scale like running a large number of World Cups simultaneously. This should be a really enjoyable time and it is a fantastic opportunity if you live near the park and wherever you live in the country or the world. It should be a great show which is hugely enjoyable and I don’t think anyone here ever loses sight of what we do in our planning and preparation is about making sure that this is safe and secure so that it can be hugely enjoyable and that is what the Olympics are all about.”

Ben Fletcher, head of policy and communication, Home Office Olympic Security Directorate, spoke to Natalie Quinn, editor