Boris Johnson puts G4S Olympic security shambles down to 'pre-curtain-up jitters' and insists London will be the best prepared host city ever

• The Mayor of London welcomes the 3,500 extra troops brought in to secure Games saying the public will like that they are there
• The extrovert politician added the armed soldiers will add 'tone' to the event
• PM David Cameron said G4S should be pursued for money for not delivering on their contract

By Martin Robinson

Boris Johnson has put the ongoing Olympic security shambles down to 'pre-curtain-up jitters' and believes the public will be pleased to see thousands of extra armed soldiers guarding the Games.
The Mayor of London said today the city is the best-prepared host ever and the 3,500 forces staff brought in to plug a gap left by the failure of G4S to find enough staff will ensure London 2012 is safe. 
G4S was reportedly paid a staggering £284million to provide up to 17,500 personnel for the 2012 Games, but this week admitted it couldn't do it with only a fortnight to go until the opening ceremony.
David Cameron today said: 'If companies don’t deliver on their contracts then they should be pursued for that money' in an attack on the beleaguered security firm.'

Experts: Lance Corporal Alex Walton and Corporal Dan Best will leave their base at RAF Northolt by helicopter to protect London 2012 from above

Their blunders mean thousands of soldiers – some only just back from gruelling tours on the Afghan front line – have been ordered to cancel home leave or holidays with their friends and families to form a ring of steel at Games venues.
Mr Johnson today added his backing saying the Army would add 'tone' to the Games as they do at the Wimbledon tennis championships where they control crowds.
'I think we are in the stage now of pre-curtain-up jitters and you would expect the media, quite properly, to be focusing on all the areas where people feel there may be imperfections or things we need to nail down and clearly transport and security have always been the big question marks,' Mr Johnson said.

 

'But I’m very confident that at this stage London is better prepared for the Olympics than any previous Olympic city has ever been.'

Ready for action: Lance Corporal Alex Walton, a trained sniper with the Royal Air Force Regiment, shows what he will be doing throughout the Games

In action: The pair will be two of thousands who will be in Britain aiming to ensure that London 2012 is safe from terror attacks

Asked if G4S had his confidence, he said: “I think the Games are going to be very safe, very secure and the arrangements that are going to be made by G4S, by the Armed Services, will deliver very good results.
'We have increased the number of people who will be involved and I think anybody who goes to Wimbledon and sees the role of the Armed Services in venue security, making the thing run well, will like it. It will add an element of tone to our proceedings over the next few weeks.'
David Cameron also tried to be positive, saying: 'I think we should be raising our sights, and thinking of the incredible inspiration that these Games are going to bring.
'The facilities are built, the country is ready, we are in really good shape.'
It came as it also emerged hundreds of A-level students have been hired as front-line guards at the Games to fill the security void when the games starts in two weeks.

Getting to work: Soldiers look out from a top of a housing block in Leystonstone which has been kitted out with the weaponry to defend the Games

Logistics: The men look across the London skyline and consider what faces them over the coming weeks

Work: Men continue to file in with items to prepare and install the missile launcher

Armed: The soldiers are stationed at the very top of this block of flats in east London where they have installed deadly weapons

Stark: The soldiers are ready to fire their missiles just above the heads of this block's residents

They are among 3,300 teenagers recruited from colleges around Britain to help form a ring of steel at the venues for £8.50 an hour.
Security experts expressed alarm that youngsters aged 18 and 19 had been entrusted with searching spectators and bags.
The company was contracted to provide a minimum of 15,400 security staff, with a target of 17,500.

This week the Government confirmed the call-up of 3,500 extra troops, G4S claimed it would be able to bring in 13,800.
However, with 14 days to go to the Games, question marks remained whether it would meet even that target, as just a small fraction of that total is available for deployment.
Only 4,000 are ‘boots on the ground’, working as ticket checkers and bag searchers at the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London.

Alone: This weapon is one of many across various locations in London that will be fired if needed

More gear: Soldiers have been drafted in to protect the capital and are now in the final stages of preparations

Another 9,000 are still in the training and vetting process – raising fears even the more reduced target might not be achievable.
The Armed Forces now make up the overwhelming majority of the security staff likely to be deployed during the Games.
The original plan for 7,500 military is bolstered by a special contingent of 5,000, plus the 3,500 announced on Tuesday, making a total of 16,000. In addition, there will be 3,000 unpaid volunteers.
The number of staff needed to guard the Olympic venues more than doubled last December after the organising committee Locog wildly underestimated the total required. Originally Locog contracted G4S to provide 2,000 security guards, but in December the firm agreed to increase that number massively.

Thumbs up: London Mayor Boris Johnson greets a security staff member at the Olympic Park and claims the Games will be better because of an increased army presence

Security problems: A soldier on duty at the Olympic park in Stratford on Thursday. He'll soon be joined by 3,500 other troops

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