London Olympics 2012: First athletes arrive to security concerns, traffic jams - New York Daily News
With only 10 days before the start of the London Olympics, a private security firm with a fat contract has had to admit it just can't deliver.
G4S will fall thousands of guards short of its commitment to the UK's government, with British soldiers and police are having to step in to fill the void.
'Our problem at the moment is a shortage of staff. We just don't have the staff," the company's chief executive, Nick Buckles, told Parliament Tuesday.
His company has been paid hundreds of millions of dollars to provide more than 10,000 guards, but now says it hopes it can provide just 7,000.
The shortfall has been blamed on several factors, the Daily Mail reports, including a computerized scheduling system on the fritz and a policy of hiring employees "just in time" for the games to save money on payroll.
Buckles says the company will compensate the government for the police and soldiers forced into service at the last minute.
Security concerns, however, go deeper than a lack of bodies at venues. The Observer reported over the weekend that people on Britain's terror watch list had been admitted to the country, partly because agents at Heathrow Airport weren't adequately trained and had been overwhelmed.
"How many other misses have occurred? The missing of counterterrorism 'hits' is a huge thing, but new recruits are not getting enough time to be taught. It is vital these people do not get in without being noted and that the information is passed to the police or security services. Once they're in, you've no idea where they might be going," one security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Observer.
It's unclear whether intelligence services or police have those mistakenly allowed in under observation, or even if the suspects are still in the country.
People arriving at the airport have been experiencing long delays passing through customs, and that's not the only choke point that has greeted athletes and visitors.
Olympic athletes, VIPs and reporters began pouring into London from all over the world Monday and quickly created a monumental traffic jam that backed up a reported 32 miles.
Champion U.S. hurdler Kerron Clement was among a group of athletes stuck in traffic for four hours as their bus driver struggled to find the Olympic Village.
“Um, so we’ve been lost on the road for 4 hrs. Not a good first impression London,” the 26-year-old silver medalist tweeted. “Athletes are sleepy, hungry and need to pee. Could we get to the Olympic Village please?”
Chinese flee rain but London weather improving - The Guardian
London 2012: G4S chief Nick Buckles 'right person' for job - BBC News
David Winnick MP asked Nick Buckles if his company's reputation was ''in tatters''
The chief executive of security firm G4S has told MPs he is the "right person" to make sure the firm delivers Olympic security staff, despite its struggle to supply enough guards.
Nick Buckles made the comments to the Home Affairs Select Committee after 3,500 extra troops had to be deployed to meet the firm's shortfall.
Locog chairman Lord Coe said it was not for him to say if he should resign.
It has emerged police have also helped fill gaps left by GS4.
Labour's David Winnick told the chief executive: "It's a humiliating shambles, Mr Buckles."
"I cannot disagree with you," Mr Buckles replied.
Mr Buckles revealed that, where police officers had been used to make up for shortfalls caused by his company, the relevant force would be reimbursed.
He added that the military would also be reimbursed and accommodation costs incurred by troops covered.
The chief executive, who has already apologised for the shortfall, told MPs he was "very sorry" for what had happened.
When asked why he was still in the post, Mr Buckles said: "It's not about me; it's about delivering the contract. I'm the right person to ensure that happens."
Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Keith Vaz: ''This is not the end, it's only the beginning''
The G4S boss said his team had informed him of the problems with recruitment on 3 July.
He said it was difficult as the numbers changed on a daily basis but as they "dug into data day by day we realised the pipeline and people we thought we could deliver, we couldn't".
Mr Buckles said he was "shocked" and returned immediately from a holiday in the US.
Home Secretary Theresa May has said she was alerted on 11 July. The security firm chief said it was on that day that he realised the contract could not be delivered.
G4S had been contracted to supply about 10,000 members of staff.
Mr Buckles told MPs his company had about 4,200 people "working on the ground" and expected that at least 7,000 people would be in place for the Games.
"Clearly we regret signing it [the contract] but now we have got to get on and deliver it," he said.
G4S, by its own admission, stands to lose up to £50m on the contract, worth a total of about £280m, after being unable to provide the staff it had been contracted to deliver.
There have been a number of developments as preparations for the Games continue:
- An insider from the committee organising the Olympics (Locog) has told the BBC that it failed to deal with the problems at G4S despite warnings over the last 18 months.
- Meanwhile, the Olympic torch is passing through East Sussex and Kent on Tuesday
- And weather forecasters have predicted that the jet stream, which brought heavy rain to much of the UK in recent weeks, may be moving, leading to dry and warm weather next week.
- Heathrow airport had its busiest day on Monday, handling nearly a quarter of a million passengers, as Olympic athletes and officials started arriving
- Those arriving were the first to use dedicated Games Lanes on the M4, with the Olympic Route Network covering London's roads.
In the latest flashpoint involving G4S, the BBC understands only 20 members of its security staff from 300 originally contracted have turned up for various Olympic duties in Surrey.
Their tasks include guarding ticketed venues at Box Hill, where thousands are expected to watch cyclist Mark Cavendish go for Britain's first gold medal on Saturday 28 July.
However, G4S said it had "many more than 20" members of staff there.
Earlier, commenting on the security situation following G4S's staffing problems, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the "basic plan" for the Games remained "exactly the same", albeit with "a different mix of people".
'Quick reaction'Mrs May told the Commons on Monday that G4S had "repeatedly" promised they would exceed targets.
The home secretary reiterated that the government only knew on Wednesday that there would not be enough G4S security guards and had reacted quickly.
In her statement to MPs, Mrs May denied the company had "deliberately deceived" the government, insisting the firm's problem was "workforce supply and scheduling".
Keith Vaz, who chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee, said the hearing was an attempt to find out all the facts.
He said it was important to hear G4S's explanation for its shortcomings, as well as hearing from other parties, such as Locog.
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed army officials have met G4S over security.
Police, meanwhile, have had to deploy extra officers at short notice from eight UK forces to do Olympic security work after the company's staff failed to turn up to venues.
G4S said security was tightened at venues before staff were assigned but that this was being rectified over the "coming days" and should lead to the withdrawal of police from roles assigned to private security.
London 2012: more travel chaos after Tube fire alert - Daily Telegraph
Firefighters were called to Charing Cross following the smell of smoke on the line. A panel was being replaced before full services could start again.
Services between Paddington and Piccadilly Circus resumed but remained suspended between Piccadilly and Elephant and Castle.
London Underground apologised for the delays, adding that "the safety of customers and staff is our top priority".
Yesterday confusion reigned as the first Games lanes came into force.
Drivers struggled as some lanes went live while others were left open to ordinary road users.
Dubbed “Zil lanes” by critics, they are reserved for members of the “Olympic family” including competitors, officials and sponsors. Ordinary motorists or cyclists using them face a £130 fine.
On the route from Heathrow into London the former M4 bus lane became a Games lane, part of a network of around 30 miles designed to prevent the chaos that made athletes late for some events during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
According to the Highways Agency, all went smoothly on the 3.5-mile stretch, with the only delays occurring more than 20 miles further west on the motorway because of two road accidents well beyond Heathrow.
The same could not be said on the A4 closer to central London on the same route. The Games lane there, operated by Transport for London, will not take effect until Wednesday next week.
Despite an electronic sign telling the public they could still use this lane, motorists fearful of the fine avoided it, taking the other lane and creating a tailback during the morning rush hour.
To muddy the waters further, the lane on the A30 from Egham, Surrey, to Dorney lake, the rowing venue near Windsor, was brought into service and police fined motorists who transgressed.
“There are bound to be teething troubles,” said Paul Watters of the AA. “There are clear signs. Maybe motorists are not paying enough attention to them or missing them in busy traffic.
“We do prefer the flexibility that these signs provide, because it makes it easier to open up the lanes when possible.”
He said the A30 lane “may have come as a surprise” because attention had focused on the M4.
Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said it was no wonder if drivers were confused. “With unsportingly large fines of £130 being dished out to those who stray into Olympic territory, no one will be taking a chance even if the official launch day for the lanes isn’t until July 25,” he said.
Motorists have also been perplexed by some of the signs. Roadside boards — since removed — have given conflicting information over when lanes would come into force and one set of new markings in Russell Square, in the heart of London, appeared to offer a choice only of driving in a bus lane or an Olympic lane, either of which could prove expensive.
Even small problems during the Games could quickly escalate, warned Kevin Delaney, a former head of traffic at the Metropolitan Police. “London’s road network runs at, or very close to, capacity almost all day, almost every day of the year,” he explained. “Wherever the Games lanes are, they have reduced the amount of lanes for ordinary traffic.
“Unless everybody heeds the advice to not drive, there are problems. Imagine if there is a situation where we have a breakdown or a crash. The road network just would not cope with that.
“The best analogy I can make is the blood system in your body: it works fine until you get a clot but when you do it has a disproportionate effect.”
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