SELEX Galileo, a Finmeccanica company, has completed a live trial of new technologies that could secure future Olympic events in partnership with the Security Innovation and Technology Consortium (SITC) and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).
Timed to coincide with the first week of the London games, SELEX Galileo led a team of 20 companies to demonstrate ‘best-of-British’ technologies in a number of crowded and operationally demanding venues across London.
The trials were carried out before a select international audience included senior security representatives from Brazil who will be instrumental in organising security for the follow-on 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The technologies demonstrated ranged from sophisticated imaging techniques to the use of biometrics to provide decision makers with high quality information essential for detection, surveillance and tracking and command and control. The trials also embraced the need for cyber security and the increasing use of social networking as an aid to situational awareness.
The UK TV shows ‘The Gadget Show’ and ‘Spooks’ were used as inspiration for the trials, which aimed to stimulate collaboration and innovation amongst the participating companies.
"The narrative running through the demonstrator to highlight the technological capability in the context of protecting major events was viewed as a very informative and valuable format" said Stephen Swain, CEO of SITC.
The locations used for the trials centred on the new Finmeccanica offices in Great George Street, London, but also included Wembley and Cardiff rail yards – DB Schenker rail freight facilities, the River Thames in conjunction with the Metropolitan, Essex and Kent Police and Weymouth in conjunction with the Dorset Police. In response to the success of the trials, follow-on events are already being planned.
"This was a hugely successful demonstration of what the British security industry can offer to customers around the world." said Simon Everest, Head of Security Directorate at UKTI Defence and Security Organisation, adding "We look forward to working with all countries looking to host major events in the future."