G4S blunders leave London Games security in jeopardy

By Kenfrey Kiberenge in London

Organisers of the London Olympics were thrown into a fiasco after the private security firm contracted to handle security issues, failed to deliver at last minute.

Global security firm G4S has been accused of failing the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog) when they recruited less personnel for the sporting extravaganza, which kicks off on July 27.

On Wednesday, the firm admitted they lack capacity to handle Olympic security. British military has since been called in to fill in the void and are working round the clock to set up a base near the Olympic Village for up to 3,500 servicemen, returning from Iraq and Afghanstan.

The media here has reports indicating   Locog expects one third of private security guards recruited by G4S not to show up for work during the games. G4S has been paid a staggering Sh37.5 billion (£284 million) by Locog to recruit and train 20,000 people in time for the games.

Recruitment of staff has been delayed by a software failure of G4S’s shift rostering system with applicants complaining of difficulties in getting responses from the company. A large number of applicants also failed the criminal records checks.

G4S has also been accused of inefficiency with two dummy explosives being smuggled through the security firm’s checkpoints at the Olympic Park undetected, during routine security exercises conducted in recent weeks.

Following the howler, a security whistle-blower said there is a ‘50/50’ chance of a bomb getting into the London Olympic games.

Smoked out

The whistle-blower, who works for the security firm, claimed that all recruits passed a training course regardless of how competent they were because of pressure to find staff.

Workers were deemed to be suitable despite failing to detect lethal weapons during training, he said.

“During my employment, I planted  improvised explosive devices, decommissioned weapons, knives and other large metallic objects on students and sent them through the metal detectors,” he told Sky News.

G4S’s readiness was questioned when a senior officer from the Scotland Yard visited the Olympic Park and encountered a uniformed G4S guard who could not speak or understand English.

Chairman of the commons Home Affairs Select Committee, Keith Vaz, said: “G4S has let the country down and we have literally had to send in the troops.”

However, Britain’s Home secretary Theresa May insisted there was “no question of Olympic security being compromised”. Both the police and G4S say they have enough sniffer dogs to adequately secure the Games.

In addition, soldiers have installed surface-to-air missiles at six sites in residential tower blocks and green open spaces across the capital, which is aimed at averting any terror attack.