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London 2012 security cost could rise by £160m

An additional £110 million-£160 million will be spent securing the Olympic Park at the London 2012 Olympics during and after the Games, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said yesterday.

The extra money will come from the remaining £1.25 billion contingency fund but the overall cost will stay within the £9.3 billion budget.  Organisers added they hope some of the cost will be offset by savings elsewhere.

Following a government review, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has been given additional responsibility for security and operations between 2011 and 2013, which will cover testing, Games time and the immediate legacy.

"As we enter the busiest and most exciting phase of the Olympic project so far, this report shows we are still on time and still on budget," Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said in a statement.

The security cost is separate to the £600 million budget put aside for securing the Games, such as policing.