As a picture emerges of serious problems with the provision of security at Olympic venues, pressure mounts on Locog to take action against security contractor G4S.
With a fortnight to go until the Olympics open, the government said it will send in 3,500 military personnel as it emerged that the Olympics security provider G4S is thousands of staff short.
A G4S source told Channel 4 News the company has begun contacting former police officers to try and make up the shortfall as they are likely already to have the requisite security clearance.
Summoned to answer an emergency question in the Commons, the Home Secretary Theresa May said any issues of penalties for G4S’s failure to provide the requisite number of security staff will be a matter for the games organisers Locog.
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When asked by Channel 4 News what penalties it will impose on G4S, Locog said it will not reveal details of commercial contracts.
She announced that 10,000 tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics would be made available to military personnel as part of compensation to those who have had to change personal plans for the duration of the games. She confirmed that some of those staff will have just returned from overseas tours and said that if any soldiers have to cancel private holidays they would be reimbursed.
Mrs May came under fire from shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper who asked why it had taken until a fortnight before the games to have realised there was a shortfall of more than 3,000 security staff.
The home secretary said there had always been plans to bring in military support as part of “built-in flexibility” within security plans.
To add to the government’s Olympics headaches, it also emerged that the M4 motorway, the main route into London from Heathrow will remain closed between junctions two and three while repair work is carried out.
The M4 is due to become part of the designated Olympic network in four days’ time.
The Highways Agency said final repairs had reached a “critical stage” and “due to the complexity of the operation more time than originally envisaged is required to complete the work safely”.
Drivers planning to travel into west London via the M4 are advised to continue using alternative routes via the M3 or M40, the Highways Agency said.
Latest #London2012 figs: 4,000 #G4S staff now deployed at 100 venues; over 9,000 in final stages of training, vetting & accreditation
— G4S UK (@G4S_UK) July 11, 2012