Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service charged with protecting the Olympic flame as it makes its 8,000-mile journey around the UK have said they want to ensure “the torch and the torchbearer take centre stage” rather than the security around it.
A selection of the 70 officers taking part in this very special security operation have been talking on video about their excitement at being a part of the Olympic flame’s tour of the country, which started at Land’s End on Saturday and will finish in the Olympic Stadium in Stratford on 27 July.
There has already been one incident, with officers tackling a man who entered the ‘security envelope’ of the flame not long after the start of the relay in Cornwall.
In the video we meet police sergeant David Thompson, PC Sakira Suzia and Jon Pilkington who works for the police physical education branch. All three were selected from 664 officers who applied to be a part of the Torch Security Team (TST), a group whittled down to around 70 officers (52 of whom will travel with the torch each day).
The TST will also guard the flame overnight, making this a unique and special operation for those involved.
An amazing opportunity
PC Sakira Suzia, a responding officer from Islington Police Station, explained how her sister was a torchbearer for the Athens 2004 Games. “This is an amazing opportunity for me to be taking part in the Olympics as it’s a part of my family too.”
Sgt David Thompson explained how, as part of the preparation for the 70-day relay, he has been working with a personal trainer to get himself “mentally and physically prepared” while Jon Pilkington will be there to support the team on the road.
Watch the video (below) to find out more about these three members of the Torch Security Team. You can, of course, follow the entire relay on the BBC.