The appointment has been made by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).
Under the agreement, G4S UK will be responsible for recruiting, training and managing the 10,000-strong security workforce that will be tasked with securing the Games alongside colleagues from the police service and local authorities across all London 2012 competition and non-competition venues.
G4S UK and LOCOG will be collaborating with the Bridging The Gap scheme established by the British Security Industry Association, the Security Industry Authority, Skills for Security and North Hertfordshire College to identify talented people from further education colleges across the UK.
The initiative is set to bring thousands of new recruits into the security industry. It provides a formal qualification for further education students from across the UK, leading to a guaranteed job interview with LOCOG to help supplement the security provision at Games time.
The programme has been awarded the London 2012 ‘Inspire Mark’, and it’s very much hoped that the project will prove to be a gateway for long-term careers in the security industry (in turn providing a lasting legacy, which is one of the key follow-ups from the Games themselves).
Intake of students for London 2012 will be managed by G4S.
Agreement covering all Olympic and Paralympic venues
2010 marked the 75th anniversary of G4S operations in the UK, where the company now employs 50,000 people.
The group has extensive experience in the security of sporting and other major events, and has been responsible for security at the Olympic Park site in East London since 2008.
This new agreement with LOCOG will cover all Olympic and Paralympic venues across the UK.
David Taylor-Smith, the regional CEO of G4S UK and Africa, commented: “We’re absolutely delighted to have been selected as the official security services provider for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012. We have worked extremely hard with LOCOG, the police, central Government and the host venues and Boroughs to develop a proposal which will provide excellent security for the games while ensuring that spectators, competitors and providers of services to the Games can enjoy the spectacle of one of the greatest sporting events in the world.”
LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton said: “This deal represents where we are with our plans for the Games – we’re now looking at operational delivery. G4S will help us ensure that the security provisions in place are robust and of the highest professionalism, and we welcome them to the London 2012 family.”
Deighton added: “Our commercial programme has been a great success, and we’re now approaching our targets which will contribute to the staging of a spectacular Games in 2012.”
G4S: long-standing involvement in sport
G4S has been involved with Olympic sports for some years as a long term sponsor of British Sailing and through its partnership with British Judo, established via the British Olympic Association’s FTSE business partnership scheme.
The company has also developed its own unique sports development programme for a group of young aspiring athletes from a range of sports across less developed countries including Kenya, Nigeria, India, Bangladesh and Guatemala.
The G4S 4teen comprises 14 young athletes who are mentored by Haile Gebrselassie, the double Olympic gold medallist, marathon world record holder and global sporting icon.
For more information on G4S sports programmes access the web link on the right hand panel of this page
Similarly, we have provided a link for readers who would like to see some more detail on the excellent Bridging The Gap scheme
