Agency training helping ensure secure Olympics

The NPIA has today rolled out its emergency service Olympic Awareness e-learning package to local authorities, The British Red Cross, St Johns Ambulance Service and other volunteering organisations helping to deliver a safe and secure Games.

The online training was produced in May to help the police and emergency services prepare for the Games. Over 16,000 police officers and staff have already completed the training.

The training provides an introductory overview of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and describes how the partners will operate and work together on shared safety and security issues.

This is the widest-ever audience for an NPIA-produced training package as it is now available to police, emergency workers, local authority staff, volunteer groups and other partner agencies.

Next month a second package will be released for police only, providing more detail on operational planning for the Games, command and control structures, operating procedures and logistical arrangements. In March 2012, the NPIA will be providing further operational briefing for the police ahead of Games-related activity such as the Torch Relay.

Nick Gargan, NPIA Chief Executive, said: "The NPIA has a crucial role to play in helping all partners ensure safety and security at the London Games and events linked to them around the country. We are making our online Tri-Service Olympic Awareness training available to partners to help them prepare their staff in a flexible and cost effective way. We are also working hard to ensure all the Olympics training is robust enough to meet the challenges from the Games."

National Olympic Security Coordinator and head of the ACPO Olympics business area, Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, said: "The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the greatest sporting show on earth and this is a fantastic opportunity for the police and many other partners to play a key role in keeping the Games safe and secure."

"Key to our success is effective and consistent training and an awareness across all organisations of their important role in delivering a safe and secure Games."

The NPIA is working with forces and central government to co-ordinate and quality-assure training in several crucial areas such as intelligence, marine policing and search dog handling to maintain safety at the Games.

Also, the NPIA's Airwave Team is collaborating with the Olympic Security Directorate to ensure that police radio communications can cope with the additional demands from the Olympics. The agency is overseeing the increase in Airwave capacity and coverage at the Olympic Park and other sites across the country.

It will also play a crucial role to ensure that officers from different forces at Olympic venues are fully trained to use the Airwave technology. In addition, the NPIA's recently-launched Police National Database will enhance safety at the Olympics by improving police access to intelligence to disrupt crime. It will also be used to vet everyone applying for support roles at the Olympics.