As the London Olympics is fast approaching, Britain is investing heavily on control crowd strategies. The UK government on Wednesday the 13th June admitted that it had completely underestimated the crowd that would head to the city to witness the event. The large turnout at the Olympic torch relay ceremony has surprised some cheerful cheerleaders as well. London also attracted millions of people in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration.
Hugh Robertson’s statement
With numerous cultural events set to take part simultaneously with the Olympics, the government is anticipating a massive crowd to the capital. Hugh Robertson, Minister of the Olympics, stated that the government has increased its funds by £19 million, totalling to £76 million, specifically for crowd control.
The funds are going to be used to provide barriers, hire ushers, build bridges for pedestrians and uphold public safety. The money will also be used to provide directions to the Olympic locations from transport centres as public transport is the preferred choice of most people in London.
Transportation for London
The transport department of London, which manages the strained, aging and large transit network, expects an additional 1 million people for each day during the Olympics that runs from 27th July to 12th August. The transport department has planned for several years, the impact of large number of people using the transit links throughout the city. Ultimately, the success of the Olympics depends on whether the city is easily accessible.
With just over a month for the start of the events, Robertson has defended his team for delaying the planning until very recently. He said that the demand and the range of the Olympics became clear to them only recently. Having mentioned this, he also said that visitors should plan ahead and be a part of the events. The city is going to be a party venue, he added.
A total of 23,700 people are set to guard the Olympic venues including volunteers and military personnel. Additionally, 12,000 police officers will be stationed to secure the city during its busiest days. Robertson also mentioned that the estimated expenditure for the Olympics was less than £9.3 billion, and he expects £500 million will be returned to the treasury.