"The planning assumption that we're working off is the UK will be policed by the British police service and the people empowered to carry guns, thankfully only a few of them, are the British police service," Allison told a news conference at the Met's headquarters at Scotland Yard on Tuesday.
For their day-to-day operations British police are generally unarmed, with only specially trained officers allowed to use weapons -- a situation that contrasts with the United States where the majority of police carry a gun as a matter of course.
"The vast majority of officers on the operation will be unarmed," Allison said of Olympic security arrangements.
"That's what we are on a day-to-day basis. The Games were sold in part on the fact that this was going to be policed by the traditional unarmed British bobby working with the consent of the community, that's what the basis of our plans are," he explained.
Officials from countries such as Israel -- who had 11 athletes murdered by a terror group during the 1972 Games in Munich -- the United States, Russia and China will be in Britain in a "liaison" capacity only, Allison added.
Allison's comments came following a report in the Guardian newspaper that the US was so concerned by security arrangements for the Games it was planning to send over 1,000 agents, including 500 from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
However, a spokesman for the US State Department (Foreign Ministry) subsequently insisted: "The US has the utmost confidence in the British government's arrangements to ensure safety and security for the Olympic Games."
It is expected there will be 9,000 police officers and 20,000 security staff in all on duty during the Games.
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AFP |
