Police are hoping that levels of crime in London will fall during the 2012 Games, the London Assembly heard today[1].
At a meeting focusing on how the emergency services plan to deliver ‘business as usual’ during the Games, the Assembly’s Health and Public Services Committee questioned representatives from London’s health and emergency services about their contingency planning for Summer 2012.
Cautioning that no two host cities were the same, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison pointed out that overall levels of crime had actually fallen during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and the 2000 Sydney Summer Games. Commenting on the level of police readiness, Allison, who is National Olympic Security Coordinator for the 2012 Games described London as being ‘in a good place, but not complacent’.
Assembly Members were questioning him alongside representatives from the British Transport Police, London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, NHS London and the Greater London Authority as part of a follow up to their 2012 report, Business as Usual?[2]
All of the guests expressed confidence in the planning and preparation in place to ensure that Londoners’ access to health and emergency services will not be adversely affected by the Games. Assembly Members heard how the London Ambulance Service and NHS London plan to handle possible congestion in central London as well as the lessons learnt from the August 2011 riots.
Victoria Borwick AM, Chair of the Health and Public Services Committee, said:
“Whatever happens on the track at the Olympic Stadium, or in the pool at the Aquatics Centre, Londoners need to know that their health and emergency services should be available just as they are any other day of the year.
“That’s why it’s reassuring to see the sheer scale of planning and preparation the emergency services have put into managing the impact of the Games and how they have taken on board lessons from previous host cities.
“There may still be some question marks over ensuring staff and supplies get where they are needed during Games time, but overall the Committee was reassured by how the emergency services have worked together to plan for, what will surely be, a fantastic summer for London.”
The Committee also commended the emergency services’ commitment to learning lessons from the Games to improve the handling of major sporting events in the UK and for the benefit of future host cities.
Ends
Notes for Editors:
- See the full agenda or watch the webcast of the meeting which took place at City Hall on 8 March.
- Business as Usual? Published October 2010
- The Chair of the Health and Public Services Committee, Victoria Borwick AM, is available for interview. See contact details below.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Alastair Cowan on 020 7983 4504. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.
Article source: http://www.london.gov.uk/media/press_releases_london_assembly/crime-could-fall-during-games-assembly-hears
