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Police carrying out covert testing of security around the Olympic Park have managed to smuggle a “bomb” onto the site on at least one occasion.
Dummy runs by London 2012 security staff have achieved a 90 per cent success rate in foiling attempts to smuggle devices into the site in Stratford, where the centrepiece Olympic stadium, velodrome and pool are based — meaning at least one attempt succeeded. The disclosure underlines growing concerns over security at the Games. Such is the level of threat that all of the Army’s explosive search dogs are likely to be recalled from duty in Afghanistan to boost the security operation.
One security official said: “The issue of explosive search dogs is crucial – they are the tools that will find the bombs, but we don’t have enough of them. We have around 30 and they can only work for 30 to 40 minutes before they get distracted or bored. From what I understand there will be virtually none left in Afghanistan – they will all be here.”
At the same time troops are to be used to search members of the public entering the Olympic and Paralympic site.
Armed forces personnel working 12 hours shifts will be used because not enough people have been recruited to assist private security operators and the police.
As many as 7,500 military personnel will assist 16,200 security guards inside the Olympic park, with 12,000 police and 6,000 more armed service personnel on the streets outside.
However, there are fears that the security operation will be overwhelmed by the complex logistics of trying to protect tens of thousands of athletes, spectators and VIPs over the six week event, which opens on July 27.
Some security experts believe the greatest risk will come away from the venues and at sites which enjoy a lower level of protection, such as mainline railway stations, London Underground or shopping centres.
An al-Qaeda style attack on such a target would not only cause death and injury, but also force the authorities to massively increase security at the Olympic Park to what is described as 'level two’.
That would lead to vehicles being banned from entering the park and all visitors being body-searched. The increased measures would lead to even longer queues and potentially playing havoc with the timetable of events.
A security official said: “The real fear is that a single bomb somewhere in London a week or two before the games are due to begin will send security levels through the roof. Everyone will have to undergo a full body search, no vehicles will be allowed inside the Olympic park and it will take hours to get inside.” The Daily Telegraph
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