CAPE TOWN (AFP) — Hosts of the 2010 football World Cup, South Africa, staged a massive security exercise this week in preparation for what has been termed the crime-plagued country's biggest policing test yet.
Hundreds of security personnel, ground, air and sea, took part in three days of practice involving the interception of a variety of simulated threats in a 50 nautical mile radius of the Cape Town International Airport.
"Operation Green Point is an essential exercise to allow our security forces to merge their expertise," said Sally de Beer, spokeswoman for the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure that comprises the police, army, navy and air force as well as border and ports entry personnel.
"This operation is considered to be an excellent training opportunity for the security personnel to be deployed during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup."
The 68,000-seater Green Point stadium in the parliamentary city of Cape Town is set to host one of the semi-final matches of the month-long football extravaganza starting in 15 months -- the first time it will be staged on the continent.
The event is expected to attract some three million visitors.
On Monday, journalists attending an open practice session found themselves hostages in a staged anti-aircraft hijacking exercise.
An executive jet flown into restricted air space over the stadium was "intercepted" by two air force fighters that guided it to the nearby Ysterplaat air force base and forced it to land.
Police cars and fire engines charged onto the tarmac, at which point a "hijacker" emerged from the plane, brandishing a gun, a fake bomb, and a blonde, female hostage.
As more and more officials converged on the landing strip in full gear, some descending from helicopters, the mock villains released their prisoners and were eventually whisked away by police.
As the security forces flexed their collective muscle in Cape Town, analyst Johan Burger of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies appeared impressed.
"This (the tournament) is the biggest security test for the country and the continent," the senior security expert told AFP.
"I am impressed with the comprehensiveness of the (security) planning and with the level of cooperation between the South African authorities and their international counterparts.
"I am convinced that the Soccer World Cup in 2010 will be one of the best-protected events this country has ever seen, and therefore I do not agree that we may be vulnerable during the games."
The country has one of the world's highest violent crime rates with some 50 murders reported per day.
But the FIFA 2010 local organising committee said 170,000 operational police members would be deployed for the duration of the games alongside hundreds of of members of other security agencies.
"The LOC is confident that it will finalise the general safety and security plans for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which is due to FIFA on 30 June 2008, well ahead of time," said LOC spokesman Tim Modise.
"South Africa has hosted a number of major international sporting events, including the 1995 IRB Rugby World Cup, the 1996 African Cup of Nations and the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, all of which were successfully hosted without incident," Modise added.
Burger said the security forces should work harder at winning the confidence of residents and visitors.
"I think everyone, especially South Africans, will want to see our security situation improve much more ... There needs to be more visible policing now; there needs to be more effective law enforcement now; there needs to be efficient and much quicker response from the police on a more consistent basis to emergency calls; and we drastically need to improve our conviction rate for criminals," Burger added.
"Not only will it contribute to a general feeling of safety, but it will also contribute to confidence in our ability to host a successful Soccer World Cup."
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