Olympic security staff ‘refusing to show up’

More than 20,000 G4S guards have been accredited to provide security for the Olympics but the firm is unable to get them to turn up at venues, it has emerged.

The under-fire firm repeatedly assured ministers it would “overshoot” its recruitment targets and only admitted it would fail last week, British home secretary Theresa May told MPs yesterday.

A further 3,500 troops drafted in to close the gap have now been joined by officers from nine police forces after security staff failed to turn up at venues.

May said G4S have over 20,000 accredited Olympics staff but the issue was scheduling and “getting staff to the venue security tasks”.

Asked why, she said: “I think there are a number of things. The first is about the scheduling problems G4S themselves have had.

“And there will be individuals who are now saying they do not wish to take that work up — that may be for a number of reasons.”

But she could not give exact figures for how many guards would now be supplied by G4S.

May denied the firm had “deliberately deceived” the government, telling MPs the firm made clear that the problems with “workforce supply and scheduling” only emerged “over the last couple of weeks”.

She also denied ministers had been told by G4S before last week that the firm would fail to meet its targets.

“G4S only told the government that they would be unable to meet their contractual arrangements last Wednesday and we took immediate action.”

A total of 3,500 troops were brought in to boost the number of servicemen and women involved in Games security to 17,000.

Hundreds of officers from nine forces have now also been drafted in to fill gaps.

Venue security was being tightened “before the full complement of accredited staff have been assigned,” a G4S spokesman said.

“This situation is being rectified over the coming days, which should lead to the withdrawal of police officers from those roles assigned to private security.”

Assistant commissioner Chris Allison, the national Olympics security co-ordinator, said: “Whilst some of the activity police officers are undertaking was not anticipated, plans were put in place to allow us to do this.

“Forces are making sure they make the best use of their resources locally to do all they can to minimise the impact on local policing.”

But West Midlands Police Federation chairman Ian Edwards said it was “chaos, absolute chaos”.

The force has had to provide 150 officers per day to cover a hotel in Warwickshire where footballers are staying. “The worst-case scenario is that we end up having to find another 200 officers for the security at the City of Coventry stadium, and we’ve yet to find out what the shortfall is in Birmingham. It’s chaos, absolute chaos.

“You shouldn’t lose your local police officer because of the Olympics. Communities are suffering because a private company has failed to deliver on a contract.”

Clive Chamberlain, chairman of Dorset Police Federation, added: “On a daily basis, it’s a lottery as to how many staff are going to turn up. The best they’ve managed is 15% not turning up, and on the worst occasions they have been 59% down. It’s a fiasco, it’s an absolute debacle.”

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “It is incomprehensible that with 11 days to go the Home Secretary still doesn’t know how many staff G4S are likely to provide.”

A report warned about concerns over security 10 months ago, leading Games organisers Locog to increase the number of security guards to be supplied by G4S from 2,000 to 10,400, while the value of the contract soared from £86m (€110m) to £284m.

G4S chief executive Nick Buckles has admitted he may be forced to quit his £830,000-a-year job in the wake of the debacle, which is expected to leave the firm with a loss of up to £50m on the contract.