One of the comments in the Daily Telegraph to their article titled "London 2012 Olympics: 1,200 more troops put on standby for Games"

I am a Corporal in the Armed Forces and I have served for 14 years. I have recently been made redundant and I still have to attend the Op Olympics for 9 weeks. I am unable to use my leave and ressetlement which I need to prepare for civillian life. I can not do anything about it so I have to smile and wave at people coming to enjoy the Olympics. So I will.I am working 6 days on, 1 day off. 12 hour shift. 3 hours travelling time there and back. My day off will be spent preparing my uniform whilst living in a tent in a swamp. But we do.

He's very much mistaken. Resettlement and terminal leave are an entitlement, authorised by the resettlement people and NOT his chain of command, so he just needs to put the dates on JPA and then disappear.

I found this belief quite common whilst I was on my own resettlement courses, particularly amongst young guardsmen whose RSM was keen that they continue ceremonial duties right up to their last day(!) but the Career Transition Partnership were at pains to stress that GRT and terminal are YOUR time to prepare for your next career. RSM's et al don't have a say in it.

I suspect the comment in the paper was more of a rant than a belief, but if it's the latter he needs to get a grip of his own future and stop being railroaded.

BBC News - Manchester and Glasgow police take on extra Olympic venue security roles

re my post on the last page. Things are getting worse. Only 9 out of 140 G4S employees turned up at Old Trafford.

I think this has some momentum now. Knowing that anyone who does turn up will be overloaded, I would not be at all surprised if lots of people think "stuff it".

Don't be surprised if the special events team from the AA (Fanborough last week, the Open at Lytham this week) get called up to fill in
AND the specialist security teams from the football clubs.....

They can't be "called up". And I'd be asking for 50 quid an hour and a four star hotel room if I were them.

I take it you think there are no longer enough police and Armed Forces to cover all the gaps?


One terror incident and the whole house of cards will fall apart......

"called up" was the wrong phrase - "requested to help" was what I meant

But yes, you are correct. I do not believe there will be enough
It seems to me that the use of the AA in traditional police roles in the last couple of weeks is indicative of this. It releases the police to duties at the various Olympic arenas and training locations dotted around the country (don't forget that many national teams are preparing at a number of Universities dotted around the country and they all need security

Worrying isn't it, one wonders what they would do with multiple scares... I believe the G4s folks have to fund there own transport and accommodation, one wonders what all the money is actually been spent on.

Things like the Open are routinely handled by volunteers or the organisations themselves over here in Canada, and it all works very well. There's a co-ordinated approach which generally works by incentivizing people to do the "right thing". There's a bus running at least every hour during the night, that kind of thing. Hardly anyone on it, but more people come knowing that it's there "in case". Closer campsites for those who cycle, etc. The volunteers are properly trained, and much friction is avoided because everyone attending knows they are volunteers.

I think the troops will benefit from this effect, as everyone knows they've been shafted.


Sadly, I think every terrorist and nutter will be out next week, knowing the state of affairs. I only hope they are like G4S and have left it far too late to get anything significant organised.

With the 'big business' approach by LOCOG, it just gets everybody's backs up and is thus doomed to failure.

"one wonders what all the money is actually been spent on."

The fat cats at the top of G4S.


Read somewhere that at some point the requirement for security increased 5 fold but the bill increased 12 fold ! I hope the Government extracts every last pound from them but I doubt that will happen.

G4S has managed to turn what looked like a great Olympics into a farce
which is a real shame.

As I understand it, the contract had no - nil - nada - nein - non - no penalty clauses. :ugh:

It may not have had penalty clauses, but can't the government effectively sue for "breach of contract"...

G4S were contracted and paid to deliver security, they have failed to deliver, therefore they have breached the terms of the contract - surely?

With Strathclyde Police taking control of Hampden, I wonder how this will affect G4S, and any staff who may have been scheduled to work there?

Spoke to a mate who is in Met this morning...................his work schedule is effectively work / sleep and work for next 3-4 weeks.

Asked what happens if Reclaim the streets or anything else happens, he just said no contingency, no cover especially when he finishes Olympic duty at 11.30pm, gets home at 12.30 and is back on duty at 6.30am.

If riots like last August happen then they screwed.

He said they told minimum overtime and all time off in lieu but he wonders how when full force is mobilised for 6-8 weeks then how can they give back the time to staff over next year without having half the staff off with normal holidays, training etc .

If there were riots like last year, I suspect the Olympics would shut down for a week or so! :confused:

My Met Police daughter has known for a year that she will be on duty ...... or travelling ...... or sleeping ....... from today until about a week after games, and was forbidden leave effectively until October. She is not complaining, just doing what she is paid to do, and doing it extremely well.
Time, I think, to stop the whingeing and get on with it. G4S has suffered a huge hit to its reputation, and in that trade, reputation is all.
Some things; defence, policing, health and teaching can NOT be done on the cheap in a modern society.
Spend my taxes on the above, not benefits for scroungers and immigrants.

Probably a reason most G4s folks are not turning up

Hotel prices 'up 300%' for Olympics - MSN UK News

The supplied 'hotel' room for my G4S training course down at Stratford was a rather 'charming' grot in cheap student accom south of the river, about an hour by coach to Stratford (when they remembered to order the coach!)

The breakfasts (at 0530 each day) were ok though.

I was gloriously entertained by 10 witty Glaswegians on the course, who, as the bitter truth about the administration became clearly apparent, verbally smeared the crumbling facade with one dour joke after another.

Just spoken with step-son, about to deploy to the sandpit. His mates now chucked out of their good accommodation so that Group 4 idiots can use it. The Mil 'volunteers' are all being moved to the warehouse. Not just the 'extras', they are all having to make way for the G4S guys on their reasonably handsome pay.

And his assessment of their effectiveness and capability is none too good either.

I'll try my best! My experience was good enough for me to be picked as a radio operator!

Goodness knows what you needed in the cv to be picked as a team or group leader!

If this report from the Daily Mail is even half true, it gets worse and worse....

Minister's daughter exposes Olympic safety scandal: Stewards made to fake NVQ qualifications and 'trained' in one hour at nightclub | Mail Online