Over 200 senior representatives from the police and other emergency services, government departments and Olympic partners last week (15th – 16th July) completed a major exercise, Citius Torch, to test security preparedness for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
[continuitycentral.com] Citius Torch (after the Olympic motto – Citius, Altius, Fortius – faster, higher, stronger) is the first of a series of planned Olympic security exercises.
Opened by Seb Coe, chairman of the London 2010 Organising Committee (LOCOG), the two-day table-top exercise, held in central London, presented a series of developing scenarios – from the combined effects of a heat wave and traffic problems through to a terrorist attack.
Exercise ‘Citius Torch’ sought to test the new national coordination and communication systems required for 2012. This included understanding the command chain, examining the required links between the new National Olympic Coordination Centre (NOCC) for safety and security, government, LOCOG and other key elements such as transport and intelligence.
The exercise benefited from contributions of visiting members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, including Assistant Commissioner Bud Mercer, who led the successful security operation for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games earlier this year.
While the scenarios were fictional, the scale of the challenge come 2012 is clear; the Games will require the biggest peacetime policing operation ever.
The Olympic Torch Relay will travel the entire country requiring a security operation throughout its journey ahead of the opening ceremony and main events, for which over 10 million tickets will be available for venues across the UK. 11 individual police forces will host an Olympic venue or village and every police force will be required to contribute resources through mutual aid arrangements.
