Building Resilience for the 2012 Games and Beyond

09:30, 1 Jul 2008
RUSI, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2ET

Link to map: multimap

About the event:

The 2012 Olympic Games will be the biggest, most organisationally demanding public event ever undertaken by the UK. While the Games will bring with them tremendous opportunities, their arrival will also undoubtedly entail heightened risk for London and the UK.

Politically motivated violence and serious organised crime have been present throughout Olympic history. The experience of Beijing again demonstrates the Games propensity to attract direct action groups seeking the associated international profile. When world attention turns towards the 2012 Olympics it seems likely that London’s status as an iconic city, and the UK’s geo-political position, will combine to make the Games an attractive target for individuals or groups seeking to exploit them for personal, financial and political gain.

Security preparations for the Games take place against the backdrop of terrorist attacks on London in July 2005, one day after it secured their presence. Plans must be sufficiently robust to withstand the scale and complexity of the future security challenges, yet suitably flexible so as to be resilient in the face of an unclear security environment and threats which have not yet emerged.

This workshop will offer delegates the opportunity to engage with prominent thinkers and decision makers on the key questions:

• What principles, values and ethos should guide security planning?
• What lessons should be taken from previous Games?
• How might the UK’s overall resilience affected by a focus on London?
• How should the UK cope with the unique manpower challenges which the Olympics will raise?
• How should authority and funding be devolved to satellite Olympic sites around the UK?
• How might responsibility and risk be shared between the public and private sectors?
• How can planners facilitate a ‘resilience legacy’?
  

To enquire about involvement in or support of this event please contact Tom Mortimer on tomm@rusi.org or +44 (0) 20 7747 2627

 

Event manager: Rachel Bowden, +44(0)20 7747 2648