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GROUP 4 Securicor (G4S), the world’s biggest security company, will not work at the 2010 Soccer World Cup next year in SA due to its concern about the tournament’s organisation, says CE Nick Buckles.

“We are not going to be involved because we don’t think the security is going to be that good — they are not that well organised yet,” Buckles said in an interview yesterday with Reuters.

Buckles said that G4S regarded SA as the most dangerous country in the world to work in — ahead of Iraq and Afghanistan.

But yesterday the South African Police Service said it would be providing overall security for the World Cup, and private contractors would be employed at the stadiums only at the discretion of the local organising committee (LOC).

The LOC poured cold water on the criticism. “We will not respond to individual companies with vested interests, but suffice to say security is naturally one of our biggest priorities,” said CEO of the LOC Danny Jordaan.

“Our country has hosted at least 146 events, including the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development, the IRB Rugby World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup and the Indian Premier League, which is currently under way, safely and securely, and we are confident this will again be the case for the 2010 Fifa World Cup,” Jordaan said.

Police spokesman Sen Supt Vishnu Naidoo said the police and its partners, including the defence force and the intelligence services would be wholly responsible for law enforcement during the World Cup, and would also assist in securing the stadiums.

“As far as we are concerned, we have presented a security plan to Fifa. A more detailed plan for the World Cup will be given to Fifa in June,” Naidoo said.

This week, police were on a week-long crowd-control simulation training in the North West aimed at honing their skills in preventing and combating disruptive or unruly behaviour during next month’s Confederations Cup and the World Cup, Naidoo said.

G4S missed out on the Beijing Olympic Games last year as the Chinese government kept security in-house, but it hopes to be a major presence at the 2012 games in London.

“We’re clearly expecting to do something in London ... hopefully we’ll get the event itself,” Buckles said.

(Source: businessday.co.za)