Police chief warns of Olympic security flaws

Richard Bryan told members at the ACPO’s annual conference in Manchester that the board was ‘too slow and too convoluted’ in its decisions over security.

Bryan, who heads the Olympic Security Directorate, called for police to have a greater say if important security decisions are to be properly made.

The Met’s Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur said officials are already considering new legislation for Olympic security.

“If there is a requirement to create a new Act then it will be something we will look at,” he said.

Ghaffur also said that a new security programme is due to be agreed by September which should allow thorough police preparations to take place before the Games begin.

The Olympic board aims to provide oversight, strategic coordination and monitoring of the entire 2012 Games project. It is made up of Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, London Mayor Ken Livingstone and former athlete Sebastian Coe.

Estimates have suggested that Scotland Yard’s budget for protecting the games is as high as GB pound 600 million, making it one of their biggest ever projects.

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