The London Olympic Games budget will break through the 10 billion ($A22 billion) barrier, largely because officials have ''vastly underestimated'' the cost of protecting the event from terrorists, The Independent on Sunday has revealed.
Security costs for the 2012 Games were now likely to reach $A3.3 billion nearly three times the original estimate, a senior official involved in planning the event said.
The army was to be drafted to help protect athletes and spectators from an atrocity, the official revealed. Military helicopters would patrol overhead and jets would be on standby to intercept any suspect private plane heading for the main Olympic stadium in east London. Under Treasury rules, the Ministry of Defence would charge the Olympic authorities for such a deployment.
The security operation is expected to be the largest in peacetime Britain, with the two-week event classed in Whitehall as a major terrorist target. Yet detailed planning for policing and security has barely started.
Insiders said a price could not be put on preventing a large-scale terrorist attack on the main Olympic site or in London's parks, where thousands will watch the events on giant TV screens.
The London bombings of July 7, 2005, took place the day after the capital celebrated winning the 2012 bid.
''It will cost whatever it takes to ensure terrorism does not once again try to rob London of celebrating the 2012 Games,'' a source said.
The insider said security planning was ''basically starting from scratch. There are no detailed plans yet but of course it will cost far more, around 1.5 billion [$A3.3billion].''
Balancing security concerns with ensuring spectators can enjoy a friendly and open atmosphere in contrast to Beijing's rigid controls is proving to be the greatest headache for organisers, alongside transport.
Officials want the experience of 2012 to be open and shared by all Londoners, with street parties similar to those in Sydney at the turn of the millennium. Giant video screens will be placed in Hyde Park and at other sites where events will take place.
In addition to police officers from Scotland Yard and other forces, tens of thousands of volunteers will be needed to check bags and tickets. Unmanned military planes, as used to monitor the Taliban in Afghanistan, could be deployed to monitor suspected terrorist aircraft.
The transport network is likely to carry 240,000 passengers an hour during the Games. Extra officers will be needed to identify suspected bombers, and stadiums will be built with special blast-proof material, including shatter-proof glass.
Officials from the Cabinet Office and the Home Office have been meeting regularly to discuss the operation.
If organisers are to keep to budget promises, cuts will have to be made elsewhere, such as in the construction of stadiums and the Olympic village to house 17,000 athletes, and in the funding of the 2012 ''legacy'', intended to promote sport in the community. Independent