Bomb detector plan for Games

Sandra Bell, the director of homeland security at the Royal United Services Institute think-tank, said that she was sceptical about claims that the new technology would not cause big delays, and said that, with each explosives detector costing about £1.5m, installing devices across London could prove too expensive.

Bomb detector plan for Games

Jamie Doward, home affairs editor
Sunday October 8, 2006
Observer

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329595693-102285,00.html

Explosives detectors may have to be fitted at many of London's sports venues, in Underground trains and in bus depots to minimise the terrorist threat when the capital hosts the Olympics in 2012, according to the Games' chief security adviser.

The plan is likely to cost hundreds of millions of pounds, but Peter Ryan, who was head of security at the Sydney Olympics and was a chief adviser to the Athens Games, said the changing nature of terrorism means the capital will have to look at new ways of minimising risks to the public.

'What we've seen is the rise of the lone bomber, the suicide bomber, the willingness of someone to sacrifice themselves,' said Ryan, who will tomorrow tell the Intelligent Transport Systems Conference in London that it is important to start testing technology that could screen hundreds of people per minute.

Such devices are already used in airports and high-risk facilities such as prisons, courtrooms and embassies. BAA, the company that runs many of Britain's airports, has also tested a new air sampling system that can detect the presence of explosives at Heathrow.

But Sandra Bell, the director of homeland security at the Royal United Services Institute think-tank, said that she was sceptical about claims that the new technology would not cause big delays, and said that, with each explosives detector costing about £1.5m, installing devices across London could prove too expensive.