Olympic Games organisers coordinate ICT and security
An information system to support security for the London 2012 Olympics is set to be in place by March. The National Olympic Coordination Centre (NOCC) is being set up to coordinate the activities of emergency services and other agencies to support security operations and the responses to any incidents at the Games.
An information system to support security for the London 2012 Olympics is set to be in place by March. The National Olympic Coordination Centre (NOCC) is being set up to coordinate the activities of emergency services and other agencies to support security operations and the responses to any incidents at the Games.
The hi-tech intelligence centre would provide a reception and dissemination point for all Olympics intelligence gathering and would oversee Games security on a national inter-agency level, delivering intelligence-led and risk-based national prioritisation of security requirements.
It is also likely to house the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) gold command, overseeing the operation to keep 17,000 athletes and officials safe.
Officials of the Olympic Security Directorate (OSD) told Kables Transforming Blue Light Services conference in London last week that NOCC has been procured, should be in place by March 2011 and will be used in a large command post exercise the following September or October.
Steve Whatson, director of IT for the Olympics for the MPS and OSD, has said that it will not take over from the command and control centres, but that its a fundamental part of the policing operation, with communications critical to the way the emergency services respond to any incidents.
Commander Ian Quinton, head of security architecture and design for the OSD, said the main advantage of the NOCC will be its ability to provide a single picture of security operations around the Games.
It would not replace the responsibility of commanders, he added.