By Janet Stobart, Los Angeles Times –
LONDON — A private contractor’s planning for security at the Summer Olympics in London was incompetent, the chairman of a British Parliament committee said Tuesday.
As athletes streamed into Heathrow Airport for next week’s start of the Games, lawmakers quizzed G4S Chief Executive Nick Buckles about his company’s last-minute failure to provide more than 10,000 extra staff members to police venues.
With controversy raging between government and disgruntled army personnel and police officers called up to cover for the trained staff members that G4S was unable to provide, lawmakers asked Buckles to explain his company’s shortfall.
At times appearing uncertain and unprepared, Buckles told the committee he was “deeply disappointed” and “embarrassed” about his firm’s inability to deliver on the contract. Buckles said he did not become aware of the shortage of security personnel until July 3, when he was on vacation in the United States.
Ian Horseman Sewell, the G4S account manager for the Olympics who was appearing with Buckles, said he was unaware of any problem until last week.
When pressed as to how many of the 10,400 personnel called for last year he could provide, Buckles said it was his “expectation” that they could deliver 7,000. According to Parliament’s website, G4S has a $443 million contract with the government to provide security guards, but only 4,000 guards were trained and ready as of Tuesday.
“Ten days before the Olympics you aren’t able to give a better answer?” queried committee chairman Keith Vaz. The G4S performance was judged by the committee to be “unacceptable, incompetent and amateurish,” Vaz said.
Army soldiers have been recruited to provide 3,500 security guards for the Games, which begin July 27. Buckles confirmed that his company would reimburse both forces and provide bonuses and accommodation expenses for military personnel filling filled the gap caused by the G4S debacle.
“We clearly regret signing the contract, but now we have to deliver,” said Buckles, who with Horseman Sewell also told the committee that G4S would forfeit its $75 million fee for failing to provide full security but would not forgo its management fee of about $85.5 million.
