Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said government ministers “don’t want to leave anything to chance”.
Hunt said the move was not because G4S’s performance had deteriorated. It had, he said, actually improved.
“With three days to go until the opening ceremony, with an incredibly busy weekend, we don’t want to leave anything to chance and we just decided that this is the right measure to take because for the public the most important thing is a safe and secure Games,” Hunt told the BBC.
“It’s better to have those troops on the ground so that, were they to be needed, they can swing into action immediately.”
Met Police deputy commissioner said 200 Olympic-related arrests had been so far, the bulk relating to fraudulent tickets.
Another day of hot weather hasn’t equated to a hitch-free time for Games organisers, however.
An opening ceremony dress rehearsal experienced difficulties when two Tube lines failed precisely as thousands of performers flooded out of the Olympic Stadium.
Behind closed doors, officials must be concerned as on 60,000 spectators will all leave the stadium at once, following the conclusion of the ceremony proper.
Publicly, however, the word is that extra lines running through Stratford International, the station next to the Olympic Park, were more than well-equipped to handle the performers.
