This summer will be a particularly bustling one for the city of London. With the Olympics set to begin imminently, the event’s organizational bodies have been hard at work preparing facilities for athletes and tourists alike. A myriad of factors have been taken into consideration; transportation, improved infrastructure and security are all pivotal for the big event to take place.
However, planning how to make sure that London is secure has pushed the organizers to some extreme measures. Notably, the Ministry of Defence is considering placing surface-to-air missiles on a residential estate to use in case of emergency during the summer months.
According to an article published by the BBC on Sunday, the missiles are still under consideration and nothing concrete has been decided. Yet, the plans have been received with some criticism.
If the missiles were to be deployed for any reason, there would be debris scattered in parts of East London that were in the missiles’ vicinity. The residential blocks that could be missile sites have been notified of the possible plans, and a test run is planned for next week.
There is certainly logic behind the argument that such a large-scale event will be in need of tight security. However, there are other means to achieve this end. An increase in police presence and Armed Forces personnel will certainly help in preparing for a threat.
It would be ill-advised to put such advanced weaponry on the roof of residential buildings, especially with the danger that the missiles could be triggered pre-emptively.
The missile system is meant to be one facet of a multi-layered security plan designed specifically for the Olympics this summer. The machinery can hit a target multiple times and can be fired from vehicles, a launcher or even someone’s shoulder.
Militarizing the urban landscape in this way could be detrimental to a more covert security strategy, and it can provide an intimidating and hostile environment for the Olympics as a whole. However, if these weapons can be covertly positioned solely for the duration of the Olympics with no interference with residents, they would be a more feasible part of the overall security plan.
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