Wimbledon security beefed up

Wimbledon chiefs have revealed armed police will guard the All England Club when the grass-court Grand Slam gets underway.

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Wimbledon chiefs have revealed armed police will guard the All England Club when the grass-court Grand Slam gets underway on Monday.

With security fears high in the aftermath of the attempted terrorist attack on the France against Germany football match in Paris in November, Wimbledon will be patrolled by officers with guns inside and outside the famous arena in south-west London.

Around 500 000 fans are set to flood into Wimbledon throughout the two-week event and All England Club bosses have also increased the numbers of their private security staff to protect the crowds, according to a Times report on Tuesday.

Armed officers were used at Wimbledon last year but on a lower scale on the 10th anniversary of the 7/7 terror attacks in London.

“There will be more security in place than before. A level of armed police will be in evidence,” a Wimbledon spokesman told The Times on Tuesday.

“The level of security and policing is commensurate with the threat and multilayered, and it has been heightened as you would expect with everything that has been going on.

“We work with the Metropolitan Police all year around and with other authorities to formulate the plans, and people queueing outside Wimbledon are included in the overall plan.” – AFP