Ron Noble, director of the international police agency Interpol, has said there is no specific intelligence that criminals will target the Olympic Games. He told security officials in London he knew of no clear threat from terrorists or organized criminals, but said the UK didn’t have enough immigration staff and raised concerns about passport checks in Europe.
Police and military personnel are preparing to carry out security exercises on the River Thames.
The BBC reports about 44 officers from the Met’s marine, firearms and air support units will join 94 Royal Marines in tests focusing on potential security threats ahead of the London 2012 Games.
The military equipment reportedly includes rigid inflatables, landing craft, raiding craft, a patrol boat and a Lynx helicopter.
Crime and Security Minister James Brokenshire, the officer in charge of Olympic security said, this exercise forms part of the comprehensive testing and exercise program that is crucial in securing the Games. We are leaving nothing to chance to ensure we deliver a safe and secure Games”.
Meanwhile a secret file said to contain security plans for the London Games was reportedly left on a London train by a policeman, found by a commuter, and handed to The Sun newspaper. The Sun returned the file to police after checking the content.
The Sun reports “the dossier contained details that would have helped al-Qaeda terrorists mount a devastating attack on the Games in London this summer. ‘Restricted’ files spell out security plans in place at the sites of events and provide minutes of top-level meetings where ways to beat terrorists were discussed”.
Scotland Yard insists that Olympic security has not been compromised because the documents are not operationally sensitive.
Chas Moloney, a director of Ricoh UK said, “this incident heightens the need for a digital approach to document management to ensure the secure sharing and distribution of confidential correspondence”.
