Details of Olympic Games security headquarters outlined
The structure and operation of all Olympic security centers in charge of monitoring venues, traffic and all sensitive areas were presented to the press on Wednesday by the Public Order Ministry. The minister, Giorgos Voulgarakis, said the security system had been fully activated and allowed plans and decisions to be carried out rapidly and effectively. A basic parameter for these centers is the operation of the C41 electronic system that allows the recording and transmission of images from the streets (from 293 cameras), venue perimeters, and from the air (from three helicopters and one dirigible), the automatic pinpointing of vehicles and monitoring perimeters by means of movement sensors, and port security through optical-fiber technology. All this activity is coordinated by the Public Order Ministry’s Olympic Strategic Security Center (OSKA), which receives information constantly from around the country. With a staff of 51, headed by the Greek police chief, it monitors the implementation of all security plans. The heart of the Games’ security is the Olympic Security Center (OKA), housed at the Attica Police General Directorate, which collates images and data on traffic, venues, the city precincts, and the country’s borders, from land and sea. OKA is staffed by senior Greek police officers and representatives of all organizations involved in security (more than 750 people in all) and coordinates all their activities. Safeguarding air space from threats classified as Category 2 (small aircraft, hang-gliders and remote-controlled devices operating without permits within a radius of 45 miles around every Olympic city) is the responsibility of the Air Operations Coordination Center. Data collected by the authorities at home and abroad regarding any potential threat to the Games are collected at the Olympic Information Center, which evaluates threat potential daily. In areas where there are no organized operational centers, or in the event they are out of action, a Mobile Operations Center has been set up, code-named «Alexander the Great,» equipped with advanced technology similar to that at OKA. Traffic management is undertaken through the Operations Center for Traffic Monitoring and Control (THEPEK) that analyzes information from the 293 cameras positioned along city streets. Screens on main roads inform drivers of traffic conditions, and the images provide a basis for coordinating traffic police on the streets. Communication between security services is by means of the TETRA cable radio communications network.
