Police changes will not harm Games security - minister
LONDON - Olympic minister said security planning for next summer's Games would not be disrupted by this week's resignations by London's two top policeman over the phone-hacking scandal engulfing the now defunct News of the World.
On Sunday, Britain's most senior policeman Commissioner Paul Stephenson resigned in the face of allegations that police officers had accepted money from the paper and had not done enough to investigate hacking charges that surfaced as far back as 2005.
Within 24 hours, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer Assistant Commissioner John Yates also quit, throwing London police into chaos a year before the 2012 Olympics.
Sports and Olympics minister Hugh Robertson told reporters on Tuesday he was "absolutely happy" security planning was where it ought to be and that a new commissioner would not alter plans.
He also said security planners would continue to work towards a severe threat level from international terrorists, despite it being downgraded a notch last week.
"Yes, it is disruptive at the top of the Met, clearly it is, but it is not impacting on the operation of the delivery of security in any way at all," he said during the release of the latest quarterly Olympic financial figures.
The government has been working on an international terrorist threat level of severe, the second-highest, meaning an attack is highly likely.
The country is facing several potential threats, one of the most high-profile being from Al Qaeda after Britain's support of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The threat level was reduced this month to substantial, meaning a terrorist attack is a strong possibility and might well occur without further warning.
Lawmaker Keith Vaz, chairman of the parliamentary home affairs select committee, was reported in the Evening Standard as saying it was vital to find a replacement for Stephenson as quickly as possible bearing in mind the timing of the Olympics.
Robertson said he was "genuinely not" concerned, pointing to the work already done by security and counter-terrorism minister Pauline Neville-Jones before she retired in May, and the Met's Olympic National Security Coordinator Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison.
"I think when we were in opposition we sensed that security was not quite where we wanted it to be," Robertson said.
"As soon as we came into office in May (2010) - there were a variety of reasons for that - when we came into office Pauline Neville-Jones combed through the business top to tail. We were very lucky to have her for that period.
"As a result of that review and crucially the work done by Chris Allison...I'm absolutely happy that the security planning is exactly where it ought to be.
"I am absolutely confident that he has this under control and that security planning is absolutely where it ought to be."
He said the threat level being lowered was broadly speaking good news, but security planning had been done on the basis it would being severe, and that remained the case.
"You plan for the most serious situation," he added.
The Olympic security budget is about 475 million pounds, with a further 125 million pounds available.
Robertson said he was confident the overall cost would come in under the 9.3 billion pound Olympic budget, but said he was unable to say by how much. — Reuters
On Sunday, Britain's most senior policeman Commissioner Paul Stephenson resigned in the face of allegations that police officers had accepted money from the paper and had not done enough to investigate hacking charges that surfaced as far back as 2005.
Within 24 hours, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer Assistant Commissioner John Yates also quit, throwing London police into chaos a year before the 2012 Olympics.
Sports and Olympics minister Hugh Robertson told reporters on Tuesday he was "absolutely happy" security planning was where it ought to be and that a new commissioner would not alter plans.
He also said security planners would continue to work towards a severe threat level from international terrorists, despite it being downgraded a notch last week.
"Yes, it is disruptive at the top of the Met, clearly it is, but it is not impacting on the operation of the delivery of security in any way at all," he said during the release of the latest quarterly Olympic financial figures.
The government has been working on an international terrorist threat level of severe, the second-highest, meaning an attack is highly likely.
The country is facing several potential threats, one of the most high-profile being from Al Qaeda after Britain's support of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The threat level was reduced this month to substantial, meaning a terrorist attack is a strong possibility and might well occur without further warning.
Lawmaker Keith Vaz, chairman of the parliamentary home affairs select committee, was reported in the Evening Standard as saying it was vital to find a replacement for Stephenson as quickly as possible bearing in mind the timing of the Olympics.
Robertson said he was "genuinely not" concerned, pointing to the work already done by security and counter-terrorism minister Pauline Neville-Jones before she retired in May, and the Met's Olympic National Security Coordinator Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison.
"I think when we were in opposition we sensed that security was not quite where we wanted it to be," Robertson said.
"As soon as we came into office in May (2010) - there were a variety of reasons for that - when we came into office Pauline Neville-Jones combed through the business top to tail. We were very lucky to have her for that period.
"As a result of that review and crucially the work done by Chris Allison...I'm absolutely happy that the security planning is exactly where it ought to be.
"I am absolutely confident that he has this under control and that security planning is absolutely where it ought to be."
He said the threat level being lowered was broadly speaking good news, but security planning had been done on the basis it would being severe, and that remained the case.
"You plan for the most serious situation," he added.
The Olympic security budget is about 475 million pounds, with a further 125 million pounds available.
Robertson said he was confident the overall cost would come in under the 9.3 billion pound Olympic budget, but said he was unable to say by how much. — Reuters
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