QUELLE SURPRISE!

Last updated : 12 May 2004 By Editor

This was predicted in a letter to Red Issue this month. The police trying to undermine terrorists by raising the profile of terrorism – there’s some logic in there somewhere folks. From the Independent:

Armed police will be on duty at the FA Cup final for the first time next week because of fears of a terrorist attack. Scores of uniformed firearms officers will check vehicles entering Cardiff as part of the biggest police operation for the event, one of the highlights of the sporting calendar.

At least 50 marksmen will be posted along the main arterial roads entering the Welsh capital and will be on standby in case of an attack in or around the 72,500-capacity Millennium Stadium in the city centre.

South Wales Police, who are co-ordinating a team of 750 officers from four forces, believe there is also a risk of hooliganism. Security experts from the force fear that the Cup final could be a target because it will be watched by a global television audience of some 600 million in 200 countries.

Experts working on plans over recent weeks rejected a "ring of steel", put in place for some of the highest-risk games on the Continent, which enables officers to check every person entering the city. Officers considered the benefits to security would be outweighed by congestion and inconvenience to the general public.

Superintendent Jeff Farrar, firearms commander from South Wales Police, said: "Events around Europe have raised concerns and we have got to consider the global threat of terror for any event. We want to send out the message that South Wales is not a soft option for terrorists."