A senior Metropolitan Police officer has warned that training and development must begin next year to ensure that the level of skills and equipment required for the security of the 2012 Olympics is in place.

Met Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, who will be responsible for the policing of the London Olympics, told delegates at this year’s IFSEC Exhibition in Birmingham that unless finances were in place by next year to meet the skills shortfall, the police “won’t be able to catch up”.

Speaking during a series of seminars organised by the British Security Industry Association to focus on the 2012 Olympics, Mr Ghaffur told delegates that closer partnerships with the private security industry would be crucial for the Olympics, and that discussions were already underway between the force, security bodies and other agencies to set up a working group looking at the issues surrounding the Games.

Mr Ghaffur also admitted that, with the responsibility for the ‘protective services’ element of Olympic Games security such as firearms and mounted patrols, it had become evident that there had been a ‘dilution’ of those skills within the police service, and that mutual aid would play a vital part in addressing the short fall.

“If the skills and technology building doesn’t start next year, we will run out of time” said Mr Ghaffur. “I have made a significant bid for budget to start training next year, and we have to do so or we won’t be able to catch up.”

He also told delegates that with the private security industry expected to play such an important role in the success of the games, there was the possibility that security issues could be put on a “formal footing” through a Green Paper.
Mr Ghaffur outlined some of the key issues for 2012 security, including the need to use existing events as -*test*-('")s to showcase the operational readiness of the security effort before the Olympics begin, and the developments underway in terms of physical security, describing the use of technology such as CCTV as crucially important – provided the necessary checks and balances are in place to satisfy the public.

He also revealed that, with the right measures in place in other areas – such as security at points of entry into the UK, on the transport system, and barcoded ticket sales – the security of Olympic venues could be handled differently.
“The security element of the Olympics has to start with the ticket,” said Mr Ghaffur. “If you can do that well, you can link it to border control, to transport, to accommodation and on to the venue itself.

“And if you do that covertly, you can then have a very light touch when it comes to policing the venue. We are still at an early stage, and I don’t want to miss that opportunity to use all of those things – ticketing, border control, transport and so on – as part of the Olympic security operation.”

Mr Ghaffur was one of a number of high-profile speakers during the four-day IFSEC exhibition, the world’s leading annual security event which covered 100,000 square metres in nine exhibition halls, with more than 1,000 companies from 40 different countries.

Security Oracle was among this year’s exhibitors, and Managing Editor Andrew Greenfield said the event was a huge success. “It was great to meet so many individuals and businesses who are already regular users of the site, as well as introducing the country’s leading online security portal to thousand of new users from the security sector both in the UK and around the globe,” added Andrew.