London 2012 Olympics: 1,200 extra troops called in after G4S security fiasco

  • Beleaguered firm admitted it cannot provide 10,400 guards for Games
  • Culture Sec Jeremy Hunt says government is ‘leaving nothing to chance’
  • Extra troops called in as questions are raised over G4S trainee exams for X-ray machines
  • G4S staff training to operate X-ray scanners at Olympics ‘were given numerous chances to pass test’
  • G4S chairman admits firm could miss out on public sector contracts following Olympic security debacle

By
Chris Parsons

06:15 EST, 24 July 2012

|

14:44 EST, 24 July 2012

An additional 1,200 troops will be deployed at the Olympics amid continued concern of the security staffing of beleaguered firm G4S.

Ministers today took the decision to call up the 1,200 troops who were on standby last week, as the crisis surrounding G4S deepened just three days before the London 2012 opening ceremony.

The military is already plugging the gap left by G4S with 3,500 troops after the security firm admitted two weeks ago it could not provide its 10,400 contracted guards.

Drafted in: The military have already moved to plug the gap of 3,500 soldiers left by G4S after the security firm said it could not provide its contracted number of Olympic guards

Drafted in: The military has already plugged the gap left by G4S with 3,500 soldiers after the security firm said it could not provide
its contracted number of Olympic guards. It will now provide another 1,200 men and women

Embattled G4S admitted two weeks ago it would not be able to supply its 1,400 contracted guards for the Olympic venues

Embattled G4S admitted two weeks ago it would not be able to supply its 10,400 contracted guards for the Olympic venues

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said, however, the numbers to be provided by the firm ‘continue to rise significantly’ but that ministers would ‘leave nothing to chance’.

Ministers took the decision to draft in 1,200 troops this morning at a Cabinet Committee for the Olympics chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron.

‘G4S numbers continue to rise significantly and we have every expectation that will continue to be the case.

‘However, ministers decided that we should deploy the additional 1,200 troops that were put on standby last week.

‘On the eve of the largest peacetime event ever staged in this country, ministers are clear that we should leave nothing to chance.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said G4S security numbers 'continued to rise significantly' but that the government will 'leave nothing to chance'

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said G4S security numbers ‘continued to rise significantly’ but that the government will ‘leave nothing to chance’

On patrol: Armed forces patrol the Lee Valley White Water Centre during previews today

On patrol: Armed forces patrol the Lee Valley White Water Centre during previews today

New home: Soldiers were last week being temporarily housed in barracks in Tobacco Dock, a former shopping centre in east London, as the government came to terms with the G4S security shortfall

New home: Soldiers were last week being temporarily housed in barracks in Tobacco Dock, a former shopping centre in east London, as the government came to terms with the G4S security shortfall

‘The Government continues to have every confidence that we will deliver a safe and secure Games.’

Locog chief Paul Deighton insisted the recruitment of more troops was made to ‘de-risk any aspect of the operation’.

Mr Deighton said: ‘With three days to go, we just want to make sure this works without any worries at all.’

But he added that it was not a sign of private firm G4S having any further problems supplying staff.

G4S GUARD ‘STOLE MOBILE PHONE’ AT OLYMPIC FOOTBALL HOTEL

A G4S security guard has been charged with theft at a hotel where Olympic footballers are staying.

The charge comes just weeks after G4S’s humiliating shortfall in providing staff for the Olympics, attracting further unwelcome attention for the security firm.

Fassal Mahmood, from Windmill Lane, Smethwick, was yesterday charged with the theft of a mobile phone at Chesford Grange Hotel, near Kenilworth, which is hosting international football teams.

The arrest has led to police leaders asking whether the controversial security firm should be stripped of its contract for Olympic football.

Warwickshire Police Federation has expressed major concerns after two security guards were arrested at the renamed City of Coventry Stadium last week when officers discovered they were illegal immigrants.

Warwickshire Police confirmed the 20-year-old has been bailed and will appear before Leamington magistrates next month.

The extra troops come on top of the additional 3,500 drafted in a fortnight ago as the recruitment gap by G4S emerged.

Mr Hunt said that, with three days to go until the opening ceremony, London 2012 was ‘very much on track’.

The Culture Secretary said the additional deployment was not because of any deterioration in the performance of G4S, which had delivered 1,100 more guards yesterday.

‘But with three days left to the opening ceremony and an incredibly busy weekend we didn’t want to leave anything to chance, and we just decided this was the right measure to take, because for the public the most important thing is a safe and secure Games,’ he said.

‘It’s better to have those troops on the ground so that were they to be needed they can swing into action immediately.’

Mr Deighton went on: ‘You can’t be absolutely certain of anything with a temporary workforce.

‘Therefore we want to substitute a temporary workforce with a permanent, reliable workforce that we get with the military.’

The chairman of G4S has
admitted the world’s largest security group could lose out on public
sector contracts following the shambles over hiring Olympic guards.

G4S
makes more than £1bn of its £7.5bn annual revenues from public sector
work and is currently bidding for nine British prison contracts as well
as services for the police.

In a separate blow to G4S, questions were today raised about the ability of trainees manning crucial x-ray machines at Olympic venues.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson visited a police specialist operations room today

Paying a visit: Mayor of London Boris Johnson visited a police specialist operations room today

Trainees at Olympic security firm G4S are given several chances to pass exams on running vital anti-terrorism x-ray machines, an insider at the company has revealed.

Recruits at the beleaguered security company are also given just 20 minutes training on machines designed to stop visitors bringing home-made bombs into Olympic venues.

G4S, already embroiled in chaos for its Olympic security failings, will have its reputation tarnished further after an insider at the firm said trainees were able to effectively ‘cheat’ their way through crucial tests.

A source close to the firm told the
Guardian trainees who fail tests are given several chances to correctly
answer the same questions, and are allowed to confer with colleagues
during tests.

Worries over
the staffing of x-ray machines were said to have been raised at a
government Cobra meeting, amid more fears that G4S cannot supply the
required numbers to monitor the devices.

THE POLICE WATCHING THE POLICE

Military police officers will be deployed alongside regular patrols in central London during the Olympics, it has emerged.

The unprecedented decision to use officers from the Royal Military Police (RMP) alongside the Met comes as the capital hosts thousands of soldiers to provide security during the games.

Officials are worried the influx of troops in London could spark trouble, especially during rest days and weekends, when they are expected to flood the pubs and bars in the city’s West End.

The soldiers, who have been deployed at short notice, will have two days off each week and are expected to want to relax in pubs and clubs of central London.

RMPs are expected to patrol in their regular British Army camouflage uniform and red berets – a potentially alarming sight for people not used to seeing the military in public places.

The move has come about following the G4S fiasco, which has led to the call up of 3,500 troops to step in and police Olympic venues at the last minute.

Police and RMPs are understood to have visited pub and bar owners in the Covent Garden area of central London.

They have asked bar owners to call a dedicated army hotline if they believe soldiers are involved in trouble, rather than call the police.

The Metropolitan police refused to discuss details.

G4S
said today it was ‘not uncommon’ for trainees to repeat tests, before
insisting it had followed industry regulations in designing the exams,
which were approved by Locog.

But
despite its assurances, the latest blow to G4S’s credibility could lead
to the security company losing several key public sector contracts.

Trainees
for the role of ‘screener’ – those who monitor x-ray images for suspect
contents – are mostly trained on computer simulations, with a small
period set aside for work on the machines themselves.

An
insider at the firm told the Guardian that of a recent group undergoing
training at G4S, only five per cent passed first time.

One G4S trainee told the Guardian:
‘Those who failed were allowed to retake the exact same modules,
endlessly repeating them until they scraped through.

‘You could take the test as many times as you liked before the end of the day at 5pm.

‘There
were two invigilators but no attempt was made to stop people cheating. I
don’t think the training has properly prepared people for working as
‘screeners’ on the x-ray machines.’

A
G4S spokesperson today said the repeated tests were ‘not uncommon’, 
and that it encouraged trainees to work through tests ‘at their own
pace’.

A spokesperson said:’Trainees who
fail the final CBT test by a small margin are given the opportunity to
re-take the marginally-failed section of the test, once only. 

‘This is done to allow for varied learning pace.

‘The
candidates work through practice modules and the subsequent ‘test’
modules at their own pace on their own PC’s with trainers available
should the candidates have any issues.

‘We
offer advice and guidance but do not direct the participant in how to
dispose items.  It is not uncommon or wrong to repeat modules. ‘

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

Looks like we are under military rule instead of hosting a sporting event and to the troops – When its over boys and girls the ‘redundancy’ envelopes are ready.

All is ok and we should put it behind us according to the head of the I.O.C ! then again this self serving money grabber is not paying for it is he?

This is a nice way of getting troops onto the streets with no resistance. When I was growing up if you saw a country with troops on the streets it was a dictatorship. A 2010 Rockefeller Foundation document entitled “Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development” outlines a scenario which results in the death of 13,000 during the 2012 Olympics. The Rockefeller Foundation outlines how the public will welcome a more authoritative government and a tighter control across all aspects of life, including Biometric IDs for all citizens. Dont believe me look it up.

I see that G4S are allegedly to pay the Government for each soldier employed to do the job that should have been done by them. I am prepared to bet that the money, if it is ever paid, remains in the Government coffers and not one penny reaches the servicemen involved. The senior officers in our Defence Services should be demanding that these lads are given the same accommodation and allowances that the police are on.

Is drugs testing compulsory for security staff. Let me tell you, it is not!

Myself and a lot of others know by now that this government couldn’t organise a dog fight at a kennels why didn’t they call the army and police in the first place but no they had to get a private firm in that is all this dour lot are interested in is privatisation so now they will find its going to cost a lot more than they anticipated
– john, west mids, 24/7/2012 20:00 Didn’t LOCOG organise this and sign up G4S, when Labour were still in power?

And who is paying for all of this …. If the government are calling the shots. Then I guess we are !
– Tom, Coventry, 24/7/2012 18:40. Yes. We only pay the troops when they are actually fighting wars.

Myself and a lot of others know by now that this government couldn’t organise a dog fight at a kennels why didn’t they call the army and police in the first place but no they had to get a private firm in that is all this dour lot are interested in is privatisation so now they will find its going to cost a lot more than they anticipated

How many troops does that make now? And are we STILL going to pay G4S?

These Westminster clowns couldn’t run a chocolate club!

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