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# London 2012 Olympics: question marks remain over security budget despite
reports of reduced costs
## Security is the big unknown surrounding the London 2012 Olympic Games. It
follows then that the budget for that security is similarly underscored with a
huge question mark.
![London 2012 Olympics: question marks remain over security budget despite
reports of reduced costs][1]
Read the smallprint: the headlines may have screamed budget cuts for London
2012 and a reduced security cost, but that is misleading Photo: GETTY IMAGES
[![Jacquelin Magnay][2]][3]
By [Jacquelin Magnay][4], Olympics Editor 1:53PM GMT 14 Dec 2010
[Comments][5]
This week the Minister for Security, Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, revealed
in Parliament the cost to British taxpayers could be as low as £475 million.
But as with all accounts and despite the most rigorous of planning, the end
figure may be somewhat different. Interestingly Baroness Neville-Jones
indicated in the same speech that the end cost, in the event of a major
security scare, may very well top £2 billion.
The headlines may have screamed budget cuts and a reduced security cost, but
that is misleading. For these are the figures that she revealed.
The Olympic safety and security budget will actually stay at £600 million -
the same figure it has been at for the past three years - but the security
experts are hopeful that the total cost will come in much cheaper at £475
million - most of this incurred by paying police.
But just in case there is an upgrade in security threat levels, with the
planning already predicated on the second highest threat level of severe that
extra money will be there at the ready.
## Related Articles
* [Olympic security spending could be down by a fifth][6]
14 Dec 2010
* [Olympic spending under review][7]
27 May 2010
* [Bureaucrats 'hamper' Olympic security][8]
27 Jan 2009
* [Olympic security 'jeopardised'][9]
12 Jan 2009
* [London expected to break Olympic security record][10]
04 Dec 2008
Baroness Neville-Jones said she believed the delivery of the security
programme, if it came in at £475 million, would not create additional risks.
But Baroness Neville-Jones has organised for another £280 million to be
transferred to the London Organising committee (LOCOG) for it to deliver the
in-venue security arrangements.
A lot of this will be to pay private security contractors and these are the
security arrangements that will impact directly on Games visitors with
perimeter fencing and airport style screening at entrances.
This money will also pay to integrate the Met Police operation inside the
Olympic sites. But the biggest cost hasn't been factored into the Olympic
security and safety budget, nor that of Locog's. It is the counter-terrorism
cost exceeding £560 million annually.
Baroness Neville Jones conceded to parliament that "much" of the £1.131
billion for the two years of the government's 2011-2013 counter-terrorism
budgets would be devoted to the Olympics in 2012.
If that isn't quite enough financial cushioning for any security scares, there
is also the general pool of Olympic contingency funds, which currently stands
at around £500 million and which can be applied to any of the Olympic
projects.
"Olympic safety and security for 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a
priority for this government, the planning is well advanced and on schedule,"
Baroness Neville Jones said.
At the end of the day the government is underwriting the cost of the Olympic
Games and any budget blow out will be borne by the taxpayer accordingly.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/8201878/London-2012
-Olympics-question-marks-remain-over-security-budget-despite-reports-of-
reduced-costs.html
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