‘More security than ever before’ at Wimbledon with armed police ramped up over possible attack
ORGANISERS say security has been “heightened as you would expect with everything that has been going on”
POLICE are stepping up security at Wimbledon this year with armed cops to have a visible presence in light of terror fears.
The All England Club has warned tennis fans they face "extensive searches" of bags and bodies when they arrive at the famous courts at the end of this month.
There will be ‘more security than ever before’ and spectators have been told to check the Wimbledon website before they travel to the tournament.
Organisers say the unprecedented operation is "comprehensive and proportionate with the threat level in the UK".
They say security has been “heightened as you would expect with everything that has been going on”.
A Wimbledon spokesman told : “The level of security and policing is commensurate with the threat and multi-layered, and it has been heightened as you would expect with everything that has been going on."
The Met police say some of their tactics will be “highly visible” with armed officers “deployed in a different way”.
A spokesman said: “A range of tactics will be put in place, some highly visible and some that the public will not notice and that includes a dedicated deployment of armed officers.
"Armed officers have supported the policing operation in previous years, but this year will see them deployed in a different way."
The ramped up measures at Wimbledon follow high level security at other major sporting events around the world.
Attacks on France and Belgium over the past year saw 90,000 police and security officials drafted in for Euro 2016.
Earlier this month it was reported at least 25 known terror suspects have gone “off radar” in France after giving surveillance teams the slip.
And Ukraine security officials announced a Frenchman arrested on the Ukraine-Poland border had plotted 15 terror attacks against the tournament.
Gregoire Moutaux, 25, was arrested carrying 125kg of TNT, two rocket-launchers, about 100 detonators and five Kalashnikov assault rifles.
Germany star Jerome Boateng has told his wife and two children to stay home during the tournament so he will not worry about their safety and can concentrate on playing.
The Foreign Office said “stadiums, fan zones, venues broadcasting the tournament and transport hubs and links represent potential targets for terrorist attacks” at the footie tournament.
At Royal Ascot an armed response unit patrolled the event with extra measures in place in the wake of the recent terror attacks.
Cops said: “For the first time this year, we'll have armed officers patrolling paths and the high street so patrols will be more visible to the public."
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