Foreign officers may help police event, says Yard

Foreign police officers may have to be drafted in to help police the 2012 London Olympics, a senior Scotland Yard officer said today.

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, who is in charge of security preparations for the Games, called for a public debate on the implications of deploying overseas officers in Britain.

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"We may have to change some constitutional positions - like bringing in foreign police officers, such as at the 2006 World Cup in Germany," he said in an interview-with The Parliamentary-Monitor magazine. "Participants and spectators from across the world will be matched with communities, and there is no reason why police officers can't be twinned on that level too.

"We shouldn't shy away from that and there isn't a need to worry. International policing is one family concerned with the same thing. But yes, there should be a public debate."

Mr Ghaffur said he was confident they would be able to maintain security. "Historically, London has been successful at hosting major events. Security is one part of the Games, and the way we work to achieve it, with local communities helping, will be a showcase for London," he said.

"We will work out the scenarios and, with a light touch, I am confident we will host a secure games."