Different approaches from guarding contractors, in the run-up to the London Olympics.
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced its security guarding contractor at the Olympic Park site: G4S Security Services UK. <br><br>The contract is believed to be between 12,000 and 20,000 guard hours a week. The guard firm says it aims to train and employ local residents to help it fulfil the contract, which runs up to the start of the 2012 Games, and to provide long term career opportunities after. All guarding opportunities will be advertised in the local media around the Olympic Park, and through local Job Centre plus offices and host east London borough job brokerage services. All Park security guards will then be trained to Security Industry Authority and the Construction Skills certification plus specialised training. More than 2500 general workers are on site, rising to 4000 at the end of the year. <br><br>Big Build phase<br><br>ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: โAs we enter the Big Build phase it is essential that we phase in robust and effective plans to ensure the security and safety of the Olympic Park workforce โ which will number around 9,000 at peak – and surrounding communities. A professional and appropriate security service is a crucial component of these plans but will also contribute to the London 2012 legacy by creating opportunities for local people to gain training, jobs and long term career development.โ During the cleaning and clearing of the Olympic Park an interim guarding service was provided by contractors and overseen by the ODA. G4S Security Services were appointed after a procurement process, launched at two packed industry days at the start of the year. The guarding company has contracts including the 02 Arena (featured in our September issue) and Ascot and events including Wimbledon (a long-time contract dating from Securicor days) and political party conferences. The ODA hopes to appoint an access control systems contractor by the autumn with the systems up and running by early 2009, a vehicle and people screening contractor next year ready to start work on site and a provider of perimeter security systems by early 2009, to replace temporary hoardings around the Olympic Park. The security firm is running a number of sporting-related projects. The runner Haile Gebrselassie is a โG4S Global Sports Ambassadorโ. The double Olympic Champion heads G4Sโ global sports programme โ G4S 4teen โ which seeks to support 14 young sportspeople from around the world towards 2012. Gebrselassie is acting as a mentor to them. And G4S Security Services (UK) recently offered £1m promoting Judo over the next four years in an extension of its partnership with the British Judo Association (BJA). Children of G4Sโs staff will be offered subsidised Judo lessons, and money towards kit, licensing and grading. <br><br>The Olympics will be a huge, once in a lifetime event. Even if your business is not in London, you will feel its impact. But does that mean you should chase Games-related work? At its seminars for security managers, Reliance Security is outlining its approach. <br><br>The regular morning seminars are running on November 6 at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay; and on November 11 at Norwich City FC. Speaking last month at Relianceโs West Midlands seminar at Dudley, Fraser Halliday, specialist services director at the guard contractor, spoke of the firm focusing on its customers, rather than going after โoperational phaseโ – that is, midsummer 2012 – Games work. He said: โWe think the pressure on the industry is going to be acute for our own customers … we feel morally itโs the right thing to do, to protect our customers. We donโt want to make short-term gains from the operational phase, itโs short-term, six weeks, it isnโt worth ruining relations with customers for the sake of six weeks. We will be at maxiumum capacity. We have been at maxiumum capacity before, and coped.โ He urged his security, CCTV, facilities and health and safety client audience to start assessing the risks now. After the Games, he suggested a โnew understandingโ, because during the event police and private will have no option but to โpull togetherโ, on control of traffic for example. The seminar chairman, quality improvement director David Donnelly, commented: โPeople are going to be sucked in all over the country, from flipping burgers to transport.โ All suppliers will be affected. <br><br>โMonumentalโ<br><br>Fraser Halliday, who is part of Relianceโs manned guarding division, has experience of securing against environmental protests – from the 1990s days of Swampy the activist – and last year was approached by the BSIA to work in a group scoping the Games. Such co-operation with the likes of G4S he saw as a sign of the โmonumental under-takingโ. He did suggest if Games guarding might be solved through a โconsortium approachโ. He stressed the sheer scale of the Olympics: โI have worked in some major projects, and itโs quite incredible, the way itโs advancing.โ Briefly, the ODA builds the stadia, while the separate LOCOG (London Organising Committee) arranges the six weeks of events. The numbers dwarf other world sports events: 10,000 athletes, 11,000 coaches and judges and โOlympic familyโ, 23,000 media. All need feeding, and moving in thousands of buses and chauffered cars. Estimated spectators: 9.7 million. โThe Olympic Games is going to put massive pressure on our ports and airports. You can think of the implications on the security of the UK in general.โ Scores of related events are planned around the UK, besides โbig screensโ in city parks. Nor are competitions only in east London. Rowing is at Eton Dorney, quite near Relianceโs Uxbridge head office; and archery is at Lordโs cricket ground, an interest of Fraser Halliday who is a former British Olympic squad-class archer. All will need stewarding. He gave a total of 5500 security officers and stewards: โThatโs a moveable feast, because it depends on your search policy. But the fact is, thatโs a massive, massive figure.โ Among the facts and figures he gave: 97 search lanes; 10 per cent of UK police deployed; and the largest single CCTV contract in the UK: โCan you imagine, a plaza 100 lanes wide, receiving all the spectators. The whole thing requires out of the box thinking, and behaviour.โ And, he added, requires the whole security industry to pull together: โThe whole of the Games will require national co-operation particularly within our industry, because there will be an acute shortage of manpower. You wonโt be able to leave it to the last minute with your providers, Reliance or any other company. Start to ask the question,โ he urged the audience, โplan in advance, because although we are here in Dudley, it will have an impact here as well.โ For example, foreign athletes will have training camps around the UK; and the rest of the summer will go on meanwhile, Wimbledon tennis, the Notting Hill carnival, the Queenโs diamond jubilee … <br><br>Screening<br><br>He spoke of the building phase guarding, being mainly search, screening and tracking of people and cargo (including dogs). Again, because of the sheer number of vehicles, some security officers may have limited police powers, Fraser Halliday suggested, to stop traffic at the Olympic Park. He went on to the implications: โYes, there is a terrorism threat. It will put pressure on police resources. There will be an additional upscaling of security operations beyond the requirement of the Olympic Games, particularly in London, but also on a regional basis. You will do your own risk assessment but may wish to upscale your security operations.โ Security officers will be at a premium, and potentially that could drive wage rates up; the industry will be stretched to capacity and beyond, he warned.
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