Tents and camping equipment will be banned from Olympic venues, Home Secretary Theresa May has announced.
Speaking at a RUSI conference on Olympic security and safety, Mrs May said the plans would prevent encampment protests similar to those seen in recent months in the capital.
The Home Secretary said strict security and screening measures would stop camping equipment being brought into Olympic venues and that police would act swiftly to deal with anyone who tried to flout the ban.
She said: ‘Our aim is to deliver a safe and secure London 2012 Games, that upholds Olympic values and the Olympic ethos. That means we need a security approach that is robust but seemless; visible but not intrusive; tough but intelligent. And that is what we will deliver.’
In her speech to the Royal United Services Institute in London, the Home Secretary outlined a range of measures to deliver a safe and secure Games. They will include:
* plans to guard against the threat of cyber crime, from so-called ‘hacktivists’ attempting to target the Games and sponsors’ websites
* a strategy to counter the threat of terrorism
* a working relationship between the police, the Olympics organising committee, private security and the other emergency services to ensure a joined-up approach to any security threats
* protective security at the Olympic Park and the other Games venues across the UK.
The Home Secretary said the security operation would not begin with the opening ceremony, but with the start of the Olympic Torch Relay, which will see a dedicated team of police officers trained and ready to run alongside the torch for the entire 70 days it is on the road.
The torch will be carried by 8,000 torch bearers through more than 1,000 cities, towns and villages across the UK, starting in Lands End on 19 May 2012.
