Tennis fans arriving at the start of this week’s Wimbledon championship were forced to pass through airport-style security scanners after a review prompted by the July 7 terrorist attacks on London last year.
Spectators purchasing ”on-the-day” tickets will queue to be checked for weapons and unauthorised items.
Between 8 000 and 10 000 spectators queued each day and organisers conceded that this may have caused some delay, but believed that most will accept the measure in the cause of public safety.
Those who pre-ordered tickets will not be scanned because organisers already know who they are.
New arrangements arising from a review after last year’s 7/7 terrorist attacks will also see improved baggage checks to be conducted outside the club’s perimeter. People-profiling experts will monitor the queues to warn security of any suspicious characters.
Revised procedures will see left-luggage facilities re-sited outside the club grounds. Ticket holders will be restricted to one bag, while hard-sided hampers, cool boxes and briefcases are banned.
Wimbledon itself takes the main responsibility for security within club grounds and the number of staff has been increased by 50 to a total of 480.
Tougher checks have also been put in place to vet security workers.
Officials hope this will weed out not just applicants with questionable backgrounds, but also journalists trying to work undercover.
The police will not discuss their deployment arrangements but confirm that their contingency plans have also been reviewed ”in the light of recent events in London”, as have plans for the ”initial police response to potential major incidents”.
A tournament spokesperson said: ”After the events of last year, security is a huge priority and a huge amount of effort has gone into making sure that our players and spectators can watch the tennis and enjoy it.”
He said the scanners may slow down entry to the tournament. ”You have to think it might take a bit longer, but what is the alternative? We understand if people are annoyed but we hope that they will understand the reasons for it.”
The authorities are taking no chances, mindful of police fears that terrorists may choose to attack a high-profile target. More than 467 000 people attended 687 matches at Wimbledon last year. Other sporting events have also been forced to consider the prospect of terrorism.
Prior to the World Cup, German police identified 21 matches that could be targets. The extremist cleric Abu Hamza kept a journal in which he listed football stadiums as worthy of attack.
The controversial cleric and former Soho nightclub bouncer was in February this year sentenced to a seven-year jail sentence after he was convicted of inciting murder and race hate after the London bombings.
Local residents and businesses have also been preparing to deal with the influx of players and spectators.
Many players and tourists rent homes nearby, but the cost of doing so is becoming more expensive. Last week it emerged that some properties are being let for up to £10 000 a week. Martina Navratilova is reported to be one of the senior figures to have complained that rents are too high. — Â