NO MEDALS

Olympic Security in ‘Shambles’

Parliament investigates failure to provide guards.

So much for the gold medal for security performance. Nick Buckles, the head of private security contractor G4S, told a parliamentary inquiry that he was “deeply sorry” for the failure to meet security obligations at the London Olympics. The company was granted a $450 million contract, but has since failed to provide enough guards. Now that 3,500 more British soldiers have been added, the total has hit 17,000—some of whom just returned from Afghanistan. Buckles agreed with the panel that the company’s performance was a “humiliating shambles.” Some police forces are now controlling security for areas of London, though the overall security plan has not changed.