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are concentrating purely on protecting the Games.
The overall security force for the Games will consist of 23,700 personnel.
Police
The Metropolitan Police is leading the overall security operation for the Games and will mount its largest ever peacetime policing operation. Police from regional forces will need to be deployed to London and to venues hosting events in other parts of the country. The UK government and police forces have developed plans to ensure that high levels of policing will be carried out throughout the country during the period of the Games. All leave for police officers has been cancelled during this period. The Metropolitan Police will be using their Gold, Silver and Bronze command structure. Gold sets the overall policing strategy, Silver is responsible for deciding which policing tactics can best deliver Gold’s strategy and Bronze is responsible either for a geographical area or a specialist area of policing. Units of the Metropolitan Police involved in the Games include: Air Support Unit, Central Communications Command, Close Protection, Dog Support Unit, Firearms, International Liaison Unit, Marine Policing Unit, Mounted Branch, Operation Podium (the Metropolitan Police’s dedicated response to serious and organised crime affecting the economy of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games), Site Security Team, Special Constabulary, Territorial Support Group and the Traffic Unit. Three temporary Muster Briefing and Deployment Centres will be established across London to ensure consistent daily briefings for all officers deployed for the Games.
In addition to the Metropolitan Police, there are 11 other forces responsible for policing Olympic venues. These are Dorset, Essex, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire, Kent, Northumbria, South Wales, Strathclyde, Surrey, Thames Valley and West Midlands. Each force with Olympic and Paralympic events in its jurisdiction will be responsible for its own policing operation. A national
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coordination has been put in place to ensure consistency across the planning and delivery of all local policing operations. Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, from the Metropolitan Police, is the National Olympic Security Coordinator. To support AC Allison, a new multi- agency coordination centre has been set up at New Scotland Yard (the Metropolitan Police’s headquarters) – the National Olympic Coordination Centre (NOCC). It will have up to 84 people working there, representing over 20 police departments and external organisations including the Fire and Ambulance services, the Ministry of Defence and the UK Border Agency (UKBA). The UKBA is tasked with ensuring a smooth arrival and departure of people and goods during the Games, including visa applications and security checks. The NOCC will be operational from the start of the Olympic Torch Relay and be open 24 hours a day from 18th July.
The Metropolitan Police and Westminster council in central London have been running training workshops for licensed mobile food traders, to help them spot suspects who may be reconnoitring targets in the run up to the Games.
Military
More than 13,000 military personnel will be deployed, joining the police and private security contractors, including more than 2000 reservists, to provide specialist capabilities in support of the police.
In May 2011, the UK’s elite commando force, the Special Air Service (SAS), and armed police (the Metropolitan Police’s CO19 unit) took part in a three day counter- terrorism exercise at the Olympic Village. Operation Wooden Pride tested the security response to an attack by gunmen, as in the attack at Munich, including the taking of hostages at the athlete’s accommodation and an assault and rescue operation. In 2004, the SAS and Special Boat Service (SBS) assisted Greek authorities in securing the 2004 Athens Olympics.
There are plans to install batteries of Starstreak and Rapier surface-to- air missile defence systems at sites on high ground in Southeast London, to
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