Eu Wants London 2012 Security Advisory Role

The European Union is pressing for involvement in the security planning and infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympics as fears over the Games being targeted by terrorist attacks grow.

According to an EU committee meeting, the European regulatory body is pushing for UK ministers to contact the monitoring and information centre (MIC), which co-ordinates EU response to emergencies, ‘without delay’.

The committee also suggested that security should be focused on the five host boroughs, not just the Olympic Park area.

The UK government said it was committed to ensuring a safe and peaceful Games and is confident that its £600m security budget will safeguard the event.

Fears that large sporting events will be targeted by terrorists have grown following last week’s attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team during their tour of Pakistan.
 
The Lords European Union committee is due to publish its report urging greater co-operation between the EU and Nato on disaster responses.

The MIC has long experience of putting European teams on standby for sporting events. For example, Portugal asked for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear decontamination teams to be kept on standby during the Euro 2004 football championships.

Committee chairman Lord Jopling said: ‘It is increasingly clear that the 2012 Olympics could be a prime target for terrorists.

‘It is vital that the government takes every possible step to ensure that other EU member states are fully prepared to assist the UK in the case of a potential attack.

‘We are surprised that this process is not already in hand and we recommend the government begin liaising with the MIC as a matter of urgency.’

The committee said much of the interest had been focused on security for the Olympic Park in east London but little had been heard about the five boroughs involved in hosting events which were ‘at least as vulnerable’.

The report said: ‘We do not believe that it is too soon to involve the MIC in preparations for security issues, not just within the Olympic venue but also in the surrounding boroughs.

‘We urge the government to contact the MIC without delay to begin work on back-up support for our own national security arrangements, even if a formal request for assistance is not needed until nearer the time.’