What a farce.....
 

It's not just the G4S bouncers who haven't been trained, it seems:

London 2012 Olympics: American and Australian team buses get lost from Heathrow to Olympic Park - Telegraph

Untrained bus drivers roaming London unable to find their destinations, despite their Zil lanes. Chaos on the M4 due to an accident and the knock-on effect of the dictatorial Zil lanes..... At one stage there was a 32 mile tailback today...:eek:

Quite a few stories of lost athletes' luggage at Thiefrow as well....:uhoh:

What a farce your self-indulgent orgy of jockstrappery is fast becoming, eh Coe?

BEagle

If what occurred in Sydney is anything to go by, Coe and the Government will still get the "best games ever" tag and then within 7 days anyone in a senior position of LOCOG and maybe the Government will vanish into thin air, quietly picking up a gong or two along the way so as not to annoy the masses who hopefully made it all work.


In the article above, nice to see someone is using a bit of common sense insead of driving around lost for 3 hours.
"The driver said: "Sorry about this." He then got out a map, before performing a U-turn and quickly getting back on the correct route."

Senior copper from Manchester on the PM programme on R4 explaining how he's had to step in and top up G4's security shortfall at a hotel by providing 28 pcs and 4 sergeants at an extra cost of £30,000 a day.

Now if he means 32 coppers on duty 24 hours a day that means, say c100 coppers, but he didnt say that.

So where does he get a figure of £30k a day - that's not far shy of £1k/per day/per plod? Now I know the police are overpaid, but a grand a day?

£1k per day (especially if the full 24hrs) is not massively OTT in my experience. There are plenty pf consultants out there pulling in anywhere between £700-£1500 for their services (IT, Project Management, Security, etc...).

The trick about contract rates is making your employment seamless and then you're into mega-wonga; sadly for most, it is 1 week here, 2 weeks there, a month here and a month there, intersperced with 1-2 weeks between contracts...

LJ

The Venue Senior Military Reps are OF-4s (Cdr, Lt Col, Wg Cdr) and the ones I know are most definately not volunteers! I know of at least one who had less than 3 days of POTL having just been for a 6 month stint in the sand-pit. There are also OF-5s and 1-stars burning the midnight oil in LONDIST and the other Front Line Comds. Yes, the majority are Other Ranks being dicked with X-Ray, Vehicle and Personnel search duties, but there are still significant numbers of "Zobs" taking one for the team as well...:ok:

LJ

Police Overtime Rates
 

Tankertrashnav

The figures quoted do not go to plod..Its called a `Special Services` charge. Such rates are set annually by the Police Authority and when Police Services are required in these circs, Officers are supplied, in this case to G4S, at this rate. A good slice of the wedge received goes straight into the Police Authority funds. Hope this clears it up..

I wonder if they'll have us laid out like these guys at the Munich Olympics in 1936...?

http://www.arrse.co.uk/attachment.ph...8&d=1342175547

:}

Now that's discipline, they've buried whole squads up to their helmet, and they've still kept perfect formation. I hate to imagine what terrible offence they've committed on the drill square to deserve this punishment though :E

I wonder how many of those helmets one could "hoof" until getting a good shoeing from those black shirts - it'd be worth it, though! :ok:

Applied for G4S olympic staff in April, to work security, day shifts preferably, at a regional site that is a 30 minute drive from my home. I thought I'd 'do my bit', as I had some time spare.

Selected for the venue and position in April. The ensuing vetting procedures over the next 3 months were intermittent and chaotic; occasional emails, random mobile phone calls; ("we need written proof of your last seven years tax payments." I was on hold to HMRC for 2 hours to get that. It was then never asked for!) etc, etc.

On the other hand, the security training (when it arrived), given by training companies contracted to G4S, was always professional and good quality.

....I've just been allocated 17 shifts in the next 19 days; not at my regional site but in London and every single one a 1900- 0700 night shift!

I'm hoping to be far enough away from the sports day to avoid any traffic hassle. I'm not sure that Barnstaple will be quite far enough on the day of the opening ceremony though.


Tell them where to shove their shift then...

Yup, tell them where to shove it where the sun don't shine, because it won't be shining on you at 4 in the morning... Are they accommodating you?

In fact don't tell them, just do not turn up as that is not what you signed up for.

There are at least 4 reports in the media where less than a quarter of staff have turned up. Given Bertie's tale, I think we can say why.

Stay home and watch it on the box Bertie.

I've spent the last 3 days phoning the various G4S 'help lines' and being promised the 'Scheduling Dept' has been informed and will allocate me shifts at the regional site!

Somehow I don't think their 'system' will cope with this.

PS. Many more in my situation, according to the call centres.

Also many with all the ticks (accreditation, training, licence, id card, uniform) but no shifts allocated! Apparently some of these are simply turning up at venues and reporting to the duty security manager in order to get 'in the system'

G4S facebook page 'Securing London' full of tales of cock ups.

I'm giving it one more more day to get shifts at the venue I applied for. After that, I'm sorry to say, I'll be one of those 'selfish recruits' who failed to turn up for work.

iRaven - is it just me or are some of them wearing Flt Lt rank on their sleeve ?;)

Forgive me, but I just have to post this link. I'm still snorting red wine as a consequence;)

NewBiscuit : ENTIRE OLYMPIC VILLAGE STOLEN IN LATEST SECURITY BREACH « Forum

Fox

Were some Scousers in Brighton over weekend talking about heading back with some souvenirs from Down South....................Fcuk I though they were kidding.

Iraven

If rain keeps up you will see similar headgear in London, only this time heads with be Coppers underneath and using their heads as stepping stones perhaps.

Fox

That is gold :ok::O:D

A slightly different perspective....
 

I know we all feel bad for everyone involved, from the worst case of people losing holidays or PODL to the guys just facing some extra time in a horrible transit block in London.

However, I've noticed some people on other forums I frequent saying how glad they are that G4S have screwed up; because they'd much, much rather have the military acting as security than whatever dross G4S can dredge up with a terrible contract!

It's ridiculous, and in some situations it's totally disgraceful that the armed forces are doing this. But as a silver lining, from what I see, the public will be extremely glad to see someone in MTP acting as security rather than someone in a G4S uniform.

Well done to everyone doing their bit.