London is getting ready for one of the biggest security challenges the U.K. has faced in decades. Getting ready for the 2012 Olympics requires training and preparation for an unprecedented amount of athletes, media and spectators converging onto the British capital. In light of this crush of people, the Ministry of Defence said 13,500 military troops would mark a “significant contribution” to the police-led security team, BBC News reports.
Adding to the 13,500 figure will be a 1,000-strong “unarmed contingency force ready for deployment in the event of an ‘Olympics-related civil emergency’,” BBC goes on to say. Expect to see specialist dog handlers, bomb disposal experts and another 1,000 unarmed forces personnel at the Games, according to media reports.
Also, typhoon jets will be stationed at RAF Northolt to provide air cover during the seven weeks of the Games, SKY News writes.
There are 150 venues and training sites, the MoD wrote, and security costs were under-estimated from the initial planning stages. UK ministers revised the Games security budget from £282 million to £553 million, BBC News writes.
The costs are rising in other areas. The UK government has doubled the budget for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies to more than £80 million after PM David Cameron saw the plans, BBC News reports.
The Guardian adds: “The National Audit Office last week warned there was a ‘real risk’ that the £9.3 billion public sector funding package for the Games would not prove sufficient given the soaring security costs and other potential risks.”
How popular are the Games so far? It was recently announced around £527 million has been racked up in ticket sales.
The Summer Olympics run from July 27 to Aug. 12, 2012.
