UK: 3,500 more troops assigned to Olympics

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Britain put an extra 3,500 military personnel on standby on Wednesday to protect venues at the London Olympics, after a private contractor said it may not be able to provide enough security guards on time.

The contractor, G4S, had been enlisted to provide the bulk of the 13,200 private security guards across 100 venues, but said in a statement that it may not hit its target because of problems recruiting and training staff.

In a statement, the government ministry in charge of crime and security said the troops would be ready to be deployed to cover any shortfall.

Defense Secretary Philip Hammond is scheduled to confirm the full details to Parliament on Thursday in an official written ministerial statement.

G4S insisted that it still hopes to be able to supply the guards, but Britain's government is putting the troops on alert to be quickly deployed if the contractor cannot meet its obligations.

Main opposition Labour Party lawmaker Tessa Jowell, Olympics minister in the previous government, said the news was a concern with the London Games due to begin on July 27.

"This is clearly a serious problem, and we have to understand how this problem arose," she said.

Britain has committed 553 million pounds ($857 million) for venue security, covering arenas in London and other locations across Britain - including a southern England sailing center and five soccer stadiums.

In the country's mammoth Olympics security operation, 7,500 troops are already being deployed at venues and 6,000 more had previously been put on stand-by to provide a range of security duties. If all military personnel - including the extra forces announced on Wednesday - were deployed, the total would be 17,000 - dwarfing the 9,500 troops Britain has in Afghanistan.

About 12,000 police, 3,000 volunteers, Typhoon fighter jets, helicopters, two warships and bomb disposal experts are also part of the vast program aimed at securing the London Games.

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Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.