Olympic rings (of steel)


ROYAL Marines in a RIB follow two fast-moving police launches as they chase a ‘hijacked’ Thames clipper as an action- packed demonstration of how the Royal Navy and police would respond to a terrorist attack during the Olympics reaches its


dramatic climax. Nearly 100 Royal Marines and Fleet Air Arm personnel joined more than 40 Metropolitan Police on London’s great artery around the Docklands, Thames Barrier and O2 Arena to show how they would respond should terrorists target the biggest event in Britain since the 1966 World Cup. The amphibious experts of Assault Squadron Royal


539


Marines put a smörgåsbord of craft in the river – two landing craft, two RIBs, four ORC gunboats – alongside patrol boat HMS Blazer and half a dozen vessels from the Metropolitan Police Marine Policing Unit. Overhead, a Lynx Mk8 from 815 Naval Air Squadron provided


cover as the ‘hijacked’ Meteor Thames clipper – which typically runs from Royal Woolwich Arsenal Pier to Westminster,


carrying


upwards of 220 passengers – made its way upstream. Meteor’s sortie up the Thames


was brought to a halt by heavily- armed commandos,


forcefully


boarding the clipper within sight of the Thames Barrier. The demonstration – dubbed


Operation Woolwich Arsenal Pier – was played out in full view of Londoners and, more importantly, the world’s media, who were invited to see how the military and police might deal with a terrorist attack on the river during the Games, which open in late July. The Meteor ‘take-down’ was


part of a week of exercises and training along the Thames to allow the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Met Police to gain a better understanding of working together – and for the Plymouth-based commandos to get to know an unfamiliar stretch of river. “It’s an area of water we don’t


know very well,” said Maj Paul ‘Stits’ Stitson, second in command of 539 ASRM. “We’ve got the capabilities,


Forces presence at Games


■ 5,000 personnel supporting the police and other civilian authorities such as bomb disposal teams, military working dogs and RN support to maritime policing; ■ 1,000-strong unarmed ‘contingency force’ to be deployed in the event of a civil emergency during the Games; ■ 1,000 personnel providing logistical support ■ up to 7,500 personnel providing venue security ■ up to four dozen Naval personnel representing the Senior Service as flag bearer parties at opening and closing ceremonies, plus medal presentations ■ HMS Ocean will be moored on the Thames at Greenwich to provide accommodation and logistical support while her flight deck will accommodate RAF Pumas and Army and Fleet Air Arm Lynx which will work with RAF Typhoon jets, based temporarily at RAF Northolt, to provide airspace security; ■ flagship HMS Bulwark off Weymouth will provide a maritime command centre for the security effort. She’ll also be used by helicopters and as a base for small boats.


we’ve got the skills, we just need the time to prepare. We always prepare for the unknown. “We are only here to help the police in the worst-case scenario.” The Met had 44 personnel, including the Force Firearms Unit, on the water in four RIBs,


a command boat and a Targa launch, and in the sky in the form of their Air Support Unit. “This will be a summer like no other in London,” said Met Police Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, National Olympic Security Coordinator.


very heart of our capital and will be a popular place for people who want to be part of the Olympic spirit.


“The Thames runs through the


“There is no specifi c threat from the river but we would be failing in our duty to ignore it at Games time. What you have seen are the sort of things we can do. “All of our planning is designed to mitigate against potential risks during the summer of 2012, and this is an example of where we will be using specialist military capability to support us.” The week-long workout was


wide-ranging security duties. Of those duties, Bulwark’s task as a floating command centre off Weymouth is similar to the mission performed by the Royal Navy


Review when a plethora of Royal Marines’


the first visible sign of Operation Olympics, the massive military involvement in support of this year’s Games.


Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said upwards of 13,500 Service personnel would be involved in the operation at its peak.


Mr Hammond said that although the police would be in overall charge of security arrangement, the Government had agreed that the Armed Forces should provide significant support from participation in ceremonial events and logistical assistance to


Hammond said every effort was being made to safeguard the 2012 Games so that competitors and audiences alike could enjoy it peacefully. He added: “The Olympic and


Paralympic Games are once-in-a- generation events for the UK. “We want them to be secure


years later during the 2005 Fleet


craft helped to successfully form a shield around the 170 warships gathered in the Solent to celebrate the bicentenary of Trafalgar. Seven


raiding and landing and Mr


so that all those competing and attending can enjoy the Games for the celebration of sporting achievement and cultural celebration that it is. “I have no doubt


Armed Forces will do a fantastic job – and I look forward to their professionalism and agility being on show on the world stage once again.”


Pictures: PO(Phot) Terry Seward, DMC that the


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