Olympics 2012 Security: to G4S or not to G4S, That is the Question?

And so the story went that that G4S and the British government would swiftly elevate their partnership to marriage after G4S’s successful operation securing the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Newspapers throughout 2011 reported on the as many as 18,000 security guards that G4S would supply for the Olympics. This is the mother of all private security contracts in Europe. One wondered from where in the U.K. G4S would get all those guards. Channel 4 News recap: “Locog [organizers of the Olympics on behalf of the U.K government] originally contracted G4S to provide 2,000 security guards out of the 10,000 required. But when Locog re-estimated the total number needed to 23,700, G4S agreed in December to supply 10,000 personnel total out of 23,700. The new contract is worth an estimated £284m.” Clearly, Eastern Europeans and individuals from other nationalities would have to be drafted. Then, the question also became how G4S and the U.K government will manage the vetting of such a large force. Some of the answers were provided today July 19, 2012. Two weeks before the start of the Olympics, G4S has been unable to provide the 10,000 (note the shrinking figure) or so security guards agreed to in a (non-public) contract. The U.K Army has stepped in to fill the gap with about 3,300 troops in addition to 10,000 already tasked for the Olympics. Over the next few weeks, we will be covering private security news related to London Olympics 2012 in our home page. Here at Private Military Ecology, we will be commenting on some of the questions people have asked on related issues, e.g. has G4S grown beyond a healthy and manageable size?

Mass migration, the Arab Spring, and multilateral management – with or without PMCs?

In May 2010, The Guardian broke the story of the boat with 72 would be refugees from Africa practically left to die whilst on route to Europe. The dinghy drifted back to Libya's coast 2 weeks later. 63 people died. Today, March 29, 2012, The Guardian revisited the event upon the publication of a formal investigation. The investigative report is very critical of NATO’s involvement and multilateral management. In light of our previous post, the fear of mass migration into Europe, is seems prudent to reflect on the tragedy.

To recap, visit the interactive presentation created by The Guardian: GO>>

The Guardian wrote today "Despite Nato's initial claim that none of its ships received a distress signal regarding the migrant vessel, the report reveals that distress calls were sent out by the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Rome and should have been passed on to at least one ship under Nato command – the Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez, which was in the immediate vicinity of the migrant boat and equipped with helicopters. A rescue would have been "a piece of cake", said one Nato official." >>MORE

The Council of Europe (Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons) investigation into the tragedy, Lives lost in the Mediterranean Sea: who is responsible, raises the issue that "Of particular concern to the Assembly was the worrying failure of a military helicopter and a large military vessel to intervene and rescue the boat after they had come into contact with it. The same applies to at least two fishing vessels. None of these have as yet been identified with any certainty." (para 9) >>MORE

We wrote on our related blog post: "The reader can fill in the gaps and feel free to add other countries in transition such as Syria, Egypt, and perhaps Lebanon in the near future into the equation. The social and economic costs of a North African exodus into Europe would be astronomical and, we adventure to suggest, might have become the chief issue underpinning the growing role of Europe in the Libyan conflict." GO>>

How much has changed since our original post of April 22, 2012? A month before The Guardian broke the story on the refugee vessel.

How much will change in the near future now that Syria is next on the list and Egypt's Spring is heading to an ambiguous Autumn. Some food for though? Survivor of migrant boat tragedy arrested in Netherlands: GO>>

Had a highly experience Private Military Company, or an umbrella contract involving several strategically located contractors with proven maritime skills, been involved, this tragedy would not had happened. NATO –EU would have retained authority over the contract, but rescue and patrol efforts would have been centrally managed and efficient. Perhaps it is time to think on ways of making better use of PMCs given what is likely to be a permanent issue in the 21st century for Europe.