http://www.ctvolympics.ca/news-centre/newsid=27963.html
 
The Associated Press
Private security firms to protect Olympic VIPs
The Canadian Press
By Steve Mertl, The Canadian Press Posted Monday, January 25, 2010 6:06 PM ET
 
Share
|more
 
VANCOUVER - There will be 15,000 police officers, soldiers and private
screeners securing the city at next month's Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
But that's just the official security force.
 
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of additional private security guards are
being hired to protect Olympic sponsors, visiting VIPs and local
businesses worried more about protesters and rowdy crowds than about
terrorism.
 
Security companies have been on a hiring binge for weeks and with the
Games three weeks away, some potential clients are just now coming forward
looking for extra coverage.
 
"I think any of the large guard companies or security companies are going
to have different pieces of the puzzle,'' says Mark Lalonde, senior
manager at Canpro Global Services.
 
"They're all madly hiring right now.''
 
Darcy Kernaghan, president of Securiguard Services, the largest provider
of uniformed guards in Vancouver, says recent requests to his firm include
additional protection for public transit.
 
Securiguard has hired about 150 people to bolster its 1,200-member force.
 
It has a couple of Olympic sponsors as clients, such as high-end
watchmaker Omega, but it's mostly increasing coverage for existing clients
such as downtown hotels and stores.
 
"I would say they're more concerned about protests and disruptions than
actual terrorist attack,'' said Kernaghan.
 
"There's many, many different types of protesters. This is an excellent
venue for them to publicize whatever their cause is.''
 
Canpro has 14 Olympic-related clients, including host broadcaster CTV and
corporations Lalonde says he can't name but which include companies
involved in mining and oil and gas.
 
"Other clients are involved in quasi-government operations and are just
natural targets for some protesters,'' says Lalonde.
 
Canpro, which has more than doubled its staff of 220 for the Games, will
have uniformed guards protecting sponsor venues, and the company will also
be working the crowds looking for potential troublemakers.
 
"One client has requested a fair-sized contingent of plainclothes
undercover operatives in a large semi-public area who are looking for
signs of possible protests to alert the police right away to get these
people removed,'' says Lalonde.
 
"They don't want something untoward that's going to attract the press or
make them look negative. So they're interested in being aware early on of
potential protests or disturbances.''
 
One of Canpro's assignments is the provincially run Robson Square
celebration centre in the heart of downtown, next to the Vancouver Art
Gallery, a traditional venue for demonstrations.
 
"It could well be a focal point for protest,'' says Lalonde. "It's also
going to be a focal point for crowds, which brings a variety of safety
concerns. If there were an emergency we don't want people stampeding, we
don't want medical problems.''
 
Lalonde says police and intelligence officials are telling Canpro there
are no credible terrorism threats to the Games, leaving disruptive
protests as the biggest security concern.
 
"Somebody may target one of our clients simply because it will draw
massive attention, not necessarily because of the client themselves,'' he
says.
 
Canpro has also been hired to provide personal bodyguards and escort
drivers for a number of visiting VIPs.
 
"These are people who are accustomed to having that kind of protection
wherever they go,'' says Lalonde, who won't name his clients, saying "I'd
love to. I can't even tell my wife.''
 
But he says they include "Hollywood stars and international A-list
sporting celebrities,'' as well as some non-household names from the
business world with "incredibly high net-worth value.''
 
One thing Canpro and Securiguard appear to have in common with their
Olympic clients is they could end up paying for the privilege of being
part of the Games experience. Neither company expects to cash in on their
Olympic work.
 
Kernaghan says his existing clients are on fixed-rate contracts, which
means his firm will end up absorbing the increased overhead costs.
 
Same for Lalonde, whose company recently opened an office in Afghanistan.
 
So why do it?
 
"(It's a) once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,'' says Lalonde. "You can't say
no to some of the clients.''

Canadian Press