U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said Britain is "double, triple, quadruple checking" security arrangements for this weekend's London marathon after the tragic events in Boston this week, according to Sarah Young of REUTERS. Clegg said that "the images from Boston had been heartbreaking." He said that "he had personally contacted the head of London's Metropolitan Police about the safety of the race," which winds around landmarks like Tower Bridge and goes through the Canary Wharf financial district before ending in front of Buckingham Palace. Clegg: "I have spoken to the Met Commissioner himself about this yesterday, and I have a huge amount of confidence in the police and security services of this country" (REUTERS, 4/18). In London, Home Secretary Theresa May confirmed that "police numbers are being stepped up" for Sunday's race. May: "They've made some adjustments to policing. They've put in some increased policing for the marathon" (TELEGRAPH, 4/18).
HIGH VISIBILITY: Also in London, Robin Scott-Elliot wrote London Marathon CEO Nick Bitel said that "increased screening at the registration points for the 37,500 runners has also been introduced." Bitel was reluctant to provide any further details, but he has been assured by Mayor Boris Johnson that "budgetary concerns will have no bearing on the extra measures deemed necessary" (INDEPENDENT, 4/18). BLOOMBERG's Donaldson & Hutton wrote that London Metropolitan Police said there will be extra "high-visibility" patrols at key locations on the marathon route "for reassurance and vigilance." A spokesperson "declined to discuss the numbers of officers to be deployed" (BLOOMBERG, 4/18).
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