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2010 Winter Games security costs soaring

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-25 09:48

OTTAWA - The cost of providing security for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver will be almost three times the initial estimate, in part due to planning mistakes by the Games organizing committee, a Canadian newspaper said on Monday.

The athletes village for the 2010 Winter Olympics is shown under construction in Vancouver, British Columbia in this October 7, 2008 file photo.[Agencies]

Le Devoir said the total cost would be around C$500 million ($410 million), almost three times higher than the initial estimate of C$175 million. It said an official announcement on the higher costs was expected in the next few weeks.

Security will be provided by a joint force comprising the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian armed forces, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service spy agency as well as provincial police from British Columbia.

Le Devoir cited internal RCMP documents that complained of numerous errors and omissions in the organizing committee's initial estimate.

For example, the estimate did not include the cost of building two security command centers and it calculated that 21 facilities and locations would have to be protected. The revised figure is 81.

No one at the joint security force was immediately available for comment. Le Devoir said that excluding troops, there would be 12,350 security personnel from various agencies working at the Games.

($1=$1.23 Canadian)