Choppers and stuff

[caddyman]

The middle of this week sees the start of a big security exercise for the Olympics, which will see - according the the Beeb at any rate - surface-to-air-missiles based in East London, though it has not yet been decided whether they will actually be deployed during the games themselves.

At a security briefing it was also announced this week's exercise will include:

The berthing of HMS Ocean at Greenwich, with a number of Royal Navy Lynx helicopters on board
The deployment of HMS Bulwark and other ships to Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour
The basing of RAF Typhoon fast jets at RAF Northolt, west London
Helicopters carring snipers also based at RAF Northholt
Royal Navy airborne early warning helicopters and RAF Puma helicopters at a Territorial Army centre in Ilford, east London
The operation of fast jets and helicopters over Greater London and the Home Counties
13,500 military personnel will be involved in protecting the games

Interestingly, we have a TA Centre locally and they are holding an open day on next Monday's Bank Holiday. There will be a couple of Apache helicopters stationed there for the summer and the locals are being invited to go and take a peek. Clearly this is an exercise in community engagement, since the helicopters will make a hell of a racket as they come and go and there exists the possibility (even if remote) of damage to gardens from down drafts when they come in low. It's not likely to have any effect on the Gin Palace because they are a few hundred yards away and Stratford and the Olympic site is off in the other direction anyway. We'll hear and see them I imagine, but not have hurricanes whipping through the mangetouts.

Whatever, I think ellefurtle and I may well slope across and take a peek at them.

I know that in this edgy post-9/11 world we should not be surprised, but it is really very sad that this sort of security has to be contemplated to cover what is meant to be a celebration of international co-operation, athleticism and sportsmanship. Just highlights how far below the ideal everything falls, really.

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