Athens, 29-09-04

Taking the opportunity of the Olympic Games` operational phase end, I would like to make an initial assessment of Olympic Games security, in which our cooperation with the Olympic Advisory Group (O.A.G.) is recognized as being highly important and advantageous both in formulation and completion.

The Olympic Games Security constituted a dynamic well-developed procedure, which began in the year 2000.

We planned and carried out a huge security undertaking based on the fact that after September 11th no single country was in a position to provide the know-how and experience to face these new incommensurable dangers and threats, such as those which have become internationally known.

We sought experience from a wide area and adapted all the new practices and the most up-to-date experience from previous Olympiads and organizations of large international athletics events to our own needs and specifications.

Staff employed in Olympic Security was trained in specific Olympic duties. Just with the assistance of the O.A.G. two thousand eight hundred and sixty-two (2,862) staff was trained in ninety-two (92) specialized forms of training.

We operated proactively according to continuous analysis, recognition and evaluation of potential threats against the security of the Olympic Games.

We created a special system of information management concerning Olympic affairs, with the establishment and function of the Olympic Information Centre (O.I.C), which ensured the interactive flow of information between countries-members of the O.A.G. and the ad hoc frameworks of Olympic Games Security.

We focused on dealing with a new wide spectrum of challenges and dangers faced by global society and the marginal and extreme expression of these dangers, in other words chemical, biological, radiological & nuclear threats (C.B.R.N).

We designed two hundred (200) Strategic Plans for security of Olympic venues, protection of officials, guarding of vital facilities, management of traffic circulation, and the Special Action Plans, as well as supervision of the borders, protection of national airspace and facing C.B.R.N threats.

The process applied in the control and testing of the schemes was a first, both in extent and quality.
We carried out ten (10) extensive exercises of readiness in the various sectors and forty-five (45) trial sport events. Purely for the sake of practice, four hundred and fifty (450) hours were devoted and over eight thousand (8,000) staff was trained from the various services involved.

The plan was put into action at the beginning of July 2004. During the lead up to the Olympic Games we effected the necessary adjustments and succeeded in familiarizing our staff with the environment of Olympic Games Security.

Precautions were taken by setting up a specific framework for the recourse to international assistance in the case of an escalation of demands in a special crisis and the insufficiency of Olympic/national resources in such circumstances.

The difficult task of coordinating the main services was successfully managed and the other seventy-seven (77) services involved in the sector of security through applying modern management, control and coordination. It is worth recognizing that the cooperation and the joint actions developed by the services involved were completely harmonized and efficient.

As the organizing country we successfully achieved a balance between security measures, the celebratory atmosphere of the Games and the daily functioning of the citizen who proved in turn to be an important ally in this great undertaking.

We succeeded in a series of activities, such as the regulation of traffic circulation, the secure and timely transfer of the athletes, the officials, the judges and the journalists but also control of access to the venues, the security of the urban area, the ports, the airports and the country`s borders.

We acquired advanced know-how and specialization, training in modern and related sectors and the necessary equipment, means and technology. We secured critical and essential infrastructures, and developed a Crisis Handling System for the antiterrorist response and the management of subsequent repercussions and casualties.

We developed international cooperation. The Olympic Advisory Group (O.A.G.) rightfully holds a special place in the wide framework of this cooperation, a group of states with important experience and know-how on subjects of security in organization of international athletic events and the wider affairs of security.

We worked together with seven (7) of the most experienced and developed countries in the sector of security, and laid healthy grounds for a new form of international cooperation for the organization of safe Olympic Games and of a wide range of athletics events.

The planning for Olympic Games Security 2004 is incomparable with previous such plans due to both the O.A.G. and the quality of criteria, as well as the specialized security of the environment in which it was structured and implemented. It incorporates all the available international experience and know-how, appropriately put into practice with absolute success.

We are of course entirely satisfied with the effectiveness of the planning, and we remain completely convinced both by the advice of the O.A.G. on this and for the important strengths for development of this prototype in the field of planning athletic events across the globe.

Following the successful outcome of the Paralympic Games and the successful completion of the 28th Olympiad, as Chief of Hellenic Police, coordinator and head of the joint effort of all the various sectors involved in the security of the Olympic Games, I feel the profound need to thank all those representatives of the countries-members of the O.A.G., both present today and absent, experts and specialists who worked together with us and contributed to the successful and secure conducting of the Olympic and the Paralympic Games 2004.