2012 Summer Olympics: Excessive security?

[Ls2BluGoat]

Taken from the Times:

LONDON -- The British military can deploy a surface-to-air missile battery atop an apartment building during the Olympics, a judge said Tuesday, throwing out a challenge by residents who argued that their home would become a prime target for terrorists.

The battery would be capable of launching warheads toward suspicious aircraft at up to three times the speed of sound. The government is planning to set up six such installations around London as part of a massive security operation for the Summer Games that will also include 13,500 troops, more than Britain has stationed in Afghanistan.

Tenants of the Fred Wigg Tower apartment high-rise in East London, near the Olympic Park, took the government to court, saying that it failed to consult them properly in deciding to plunk down an anti-aircraft missile battery on their rooftop and alleging that their right to a peaceful home life had been violated.

But a High Court judge dismissed that challenge Tuesday. Justice Charles Haddon-Cave said the military was within its rights to choose a residential building as a missile-launching platform and that its outreach efforts to the community, while not obligatory, were “immaculate.”

Residents of the apartment building were laboring under “something of a misapprehension” as to the nature of the weaponry and of the risks posed by it, Britain’s Press Assn. quoted Haddon-Cave as saying.

Critics have described the government’s security arrangements for the Summer Olympics, which kick off July 27, as overkill. In addition to the missiles, the military is also mooring its biggest warship in the Thames and patrolling the skies with spy planes and helicopters with snipers.

The security budget for the Games now stands at about $875 million, double the originally intended amount

Also:

Anybody familiar with G4S Security Solutions (formerly WSI)? Seems like they've got themselves in some deep shit from mishandling protocols directed by the British Armed forces in preparation for the event.

Article here:

My question is, is all this really necessary?

 

[F1reStart3r]

Do you really want to be the government that let something happened during the Olympics? Aside from that GB has already foiled some plots and arrested some terrorists. That's age we live in, too much is never enough.

 

[61mmstang94]

If something were to happen, there's no such thing as too much. Better safe than sorry with such a huge event that attracts the attention from the entire globe.

 

[ifinditundrgrnd]

They didn't just foil plots, they had a bunch of terrorists set off backpack bombs in the London subway and a bus that killed a number of people. Their preparations are justified.

 

[zak88lx]

I think this is totally necessary.
London has had numerous terrorist incidents over the last decade, and this is the Olympics, where the entire world is watching.

I remember the extreme security we had here during the 2002 G8 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta. We also had air defence missile systems in place.
Here's a list of the security that was in place for the 2 day summit:

- JTF 2 (Joint Task Force)
- JTF "Grizzly" (Defensive Counter Air organization)
- Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group
- Canadian CF-18s
- Griffon helicopters
- Ground-based air defence missile systems
- United States Air Force AWACs and strategic air-to-air refueling aircraft

 

[svtcop]

Although I think they have the right idea in terms of security, I think they might be a little off base.

One would think that prevention, intelligence, investigation, diligence and planning would be the order for such an event.

Mounting surface to air missiles won't do much good when backpack bombs and suicide bombers are the threat.

Mass casualty prevention through the above listed methods and response to assist injured by trained responders would be more appropriate IMO.

But I'm sure they have covered that as well.

 

[coldair]

Seems about right, I worked at the Olympic Trials in Eugene although there were no missle launchers police force was heavy and bomb dogs were everywhere, which was funny being in Eugene every stoner walking in thought they were drug dogs and would run to the trash and emtpy their pocket ;-)

 

[CobraBob]

As others have said, there is no such thing as excessive security. Some will likely say after the Games are over that too much money was wasted on security that wasn't necessary. I would counter and say that because of all that security, potential threats were possibly thwarted. We are the greatest country in the world in part because of our extreme attention to securing our country. JMO.

 

[Last]

I can't even imagine how many plain clothes guys they will have.

 

[zak88lx]

I can't even imagine how many plain clothes guys they will have.

This will be the key to keeping everyone safe.
They need to literally blanket the grounds with a 50/50 mix of uniformed and undercover officers.
London also has state of the art surveillance cameras that will most likely cover every inch of the grounds.

 

[GloomySVT]

What a bunch of idiots. A surface to air missile system, when terrorists sneak around, in disguise, and on foot. Sounds like brilliance to me.

 

[61mmstang94]

What a bunch of idiots. A surface to air missile system, when terrorists sneak around, in disguise, and on foot. Sounds like brilliance to me.

Yeah, I guess they didn't think of that. You better call the head of Olympic security and let them know that. :loser:

 

[97desertCobra]

What a bunch of idiots. A surface to air missile system, when terrorists sneak around, in disguise, and on foot. Sounds like brilliance to me.

They also highjack planes and fly them into buildings. Remember that incident back in September of 2011?

It seems like overkill with such a HUGE conventional force and presence but it's justified as a deterrent. When you consider what LeT was able to accomplish in India, terrorist organizations are getting better and better at ghost games in addition to overt strikes. So a huge precedence deters walking around shooting into crowds with AK-47's. The covert suicide bomber attacks are handled by intelligence gathering and infiltration. It seems like a lot but it's probably appropriate.

 

[cobrakidz]

Better to be safe than sorry......plus if anything happened to the USA women's soccer team I would be devistated.