U.K. Deploys 1,200 More Troops to Olympics
The country will now have roughly twice the number of soldiers at the games than it does currently in Afghanistan.
| Posted Tuesday, July 24, 2012, at 11:03 AM
Photograph by Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images.
The U.K. decided to send 1,200 more troops to Olympic venues on Tuesday, three days before the games are set to open, a move that suggests that the private security company tasked with keeping the games safe isn't exactly inspiring confidence.
As the Associated Press points out, more than 18,000 troops are now involved in the London games, roughly double the number of British troops currently in Afghanistan.
Private security provider G4S Plc failed to recruit the 13,700 guards required by their contract ahead of the games, which lead to the U.K.'s initial decision to send troops in to boost security earlier this month. The additional forces announced on Tuesday had been put on standby days ago, the AP notes. At the time, the actual deployment of those troops was described as unlikely, but following a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, they were called in.
Government officials declined to explain the reason behind the deployment. The secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport, Jeremy Hunt, had this to say: "On the eve of the largest peacetime event ever staged in this country, ministers are clear that we should leave nothing to chance. ... The government continues to have every confidence that we will deliver a safe and secure Games."
According to the Times, G4S Plc has agreed to pay the costs associated with the extra military and police presence at the games due to the company's recruitment shortfall.
