VANCOUVER - Olympics security forces fear a repeat of the fatal bomb blast that rocked Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Games.
“It is an area of concern to us,” deputy police chief Steve Sweeney told council last week.
During the 2010 Games, no receptacles such as newspaper boxes or litter bins will be allowed within 100 metres of official venues. That’s to stop would-be bombers from hiding explosives in crowded areas. The restrictions are standard practice for security events of this size, Sweeney said.
But those measures won’t apply to public areas such as downtown pedestrian corridors, where thousands of people will congregate.
“That’s where it’s really up to the police officers on duty to be extra vigilant,” Sweeney said.
During Atlanta’s ill-fated 1996 Olympics, a pipe bomb filled with nails and screws was placed under a bench at a concert attended by tens of thousands. Two people died – one indirectly – and 111 were injured when it exploded.
The upcoming 2010 Olympics will see the biggest peace-time security operation in Canadian history. Over 7,000 police, 4,500 armed forces and 5,000 private security guards will be divided between the Lower Mainland and Whistler.
The Vancouver police department plans to “enhance” its presence in public areas to make sure an Atlanta-style attack doesn’t happen.
“Were going to have significant number of foot patrol officers,” Sweeney said. “That will be our first line of defence against attacks of that nature.”
Geoff Dembicki reports for The Tyee.
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Dan the socialist
2 years ago
More fearmongering. I am
More fearmongering. I am really starting to get sick of it.
Maurice Cardinal
2 years ago
Stay away from the Zone
This is exactly why it is smart to stay out of and away from Olympic Zones.
It's also the main reason so many people in Olympic Host regions leave town for the duration of the Games, and also why parents DO NOT send their kids to school during the Games, even if schools remain open.
Anywhere in or near Robson and Granville streets, Granville Island, or in and around the immediate areas of Olympic facilities are high risk danger zones. So too is ALL public transportation, especially anything that runs underground.
Keep in mind that waiting in line to get into Olympic Zones is even more dangerous because anyone can waltz up to the security checkpoint and stand beside you as you wait to enter. Checkpoint entrances are always congested and chaotic.
I'm also not sure how security will keep people from tossing things over the Granville Bridge onto Granville Island, which is designated an official Olympic Zone. Granville Island is a federal project remember, and the feds are Olympic partners.
Security checkpoints will be set up on the periphery of Olympic zones and include bomb and drug sniffing dogs and electronic scanners. You might not SEE armed military or law enforcement, but they will be there in droves ready for trouble.
The thousands of security cameras set up within the city are primarily there to catch criminals after the fact. It is proven they offer little deterrent to stop criminal activity. If they were actually a deterrent we wouldn't need armed security and dogs. Consider for example the guy on Skytrain who was just robbed under the watchful eye of a security cam. What good did the cam do?
Stay safe and stay away. There are hundreds of fun places including shopping, bars and restaurants for Olympic athletes, spectators and locals to visit that are well removed from the dangers of Olympic Zones.
If it has an Olympic affiliation, avoid it and head to 4th Ave in Kitsilano, to Commercial Drive, Denman St, Point Grey Village, Steveston, Burnaby or the many other neighborhoods that will provide less congested and safer shopping and party zones. These outlying areas will also see less Olympic gouging.
Leave the Olympic Zones to Olympic sponsors and groupies.
It's a new era. Play safe.
I cover issues like this in great detail in my book, Leverage Olympic Momentum. Arm yourself with knowledge.
Maurice Cardinal
2 years ago
Dan the socialist . . .
It's not fear mongering Dan, it's simply part of hosting an Olympic event.
Canada isn't investing a billion dollars on Olympic security for nothing.
Google " Colin Powell athens riots Olympics 2004 " and take a look.
http://www.google.ca/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLL_enCA318CA318&q=colin+powell+athens+riots+2004
DPL
2 years ago
First you scare the socks
First you scare the socks off citizens who want to go to the big circus, then the security expenses can go sky high. If you recall the guy they blamed at Atlanta was a security guard. He wasn't the culprit but it made the media rounds for days.
Next you round up every cop you can find to do overtime, haul in the military and spend 100 million for private security guards, then wonder why folks get a bit tired of the idea of having the circus in the first place. Somebody makes a ton of money as the tax payers hide out of sight of the whole bloody mess. Stay away from anywhere near where we live. The end of the whole mess will not be too soon for us who see it as a overhyped event costing millions more than it needed to cost