An additional 1,200 troops have been put on standby for possible duties at the Olympic Games, but ministers have decided there is no current need to deploy more troops, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said today.
A statement said: "Ministers agreed today that there is no current need to deploy any additional troops.
“G4S numbers are rising and we are seeing an improvement in the company's performance which is to be welcomed.
“Safety and security will always have the highest priority. As we have said we must prepare for every contingency.
“We are therefore putting an additional 1,200 troops on standby, reducing their notice to move from seven days to 48 hours. They will remain in their current locations but can be called on if we need them during the coming weeks. We hope that will not be necessary but this is a sensible precaution.
“There will be other challenges over the coming weeks, but we are confident that we are on track to stage a great Games.”
Thousands of troops are already providing Olympic security
The news follows weeks of controversy surrounding the Olympic security arrangements.
G4S was contracted to supply 10,000 security staff but with just days before the Games were due to begin, announced that they couldn't fulfil the contract, meaning the Coalition had to draft in thousands of extra troops and police officers.
And this week it emerged that members of the Armed Services put on Olympic duty had been forced to sleep on chairs at London's Tobacco Dock.
The 16,000 square metre former shopping centre in Wapping is being used by troops from the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as accommodation during the Games.