Commonwealth Games Report

I don't think anyone of sound mind would call me a sports fan, but I have been delighted to be involved, even in a small way, with the huge undertaking delivered as the Commonwealth Games Birmingham 22. Apart from some cycling events at the Velodrome on the 2012 Olympic Park in London, all events were within my chaplaincy area of West Midlands. On 28th July two years of planning became a reality in the packed Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr and the momentum did not let up for a moment until everyone had become 'Paranoid' about Ozzy Osbourne's final chorus at the closing ceremony. 'Perry' the raging bull (opposite page) managed to escape from the stadium and take up residence in Centenary Square, right outside my Network Rail and BTP main offices. His presence alone brought thousands of extra visitors every day of the games, with sometimes as many as 10,000 people filling the square. He will remain in situ until the end of September. New Street Station, Birmingham International and University were the busiest stations, and the throughput of passengers was immense. University station alone averaged 37,000 passengers a day. The train operators and Network Rail had major plans in place to ensure a robust and safe service for locals and visitors choosing to travel by train.

British Transport Police [BTP], working with West Midlands Police, had their ranks swelled by hundreds of officers imported from across the nation. Silver command was set up in North

Birmingham and patrols and specialist teams were deployed to all stations having increased footfall due to the games. With support from Helen Lewis, Colin Fraser and Andrea Smyth, I spent time with rail staff and BTP teams at various stations. We had the privilege of talking with officers from various parts of Scotland, several areas of London, Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Derby, Leeds and many other locations.

As activity centred around Birmingham, I was also able to spend time with staff from the Train Operating Companies as they rose to the challenge of managing the throughput of vast numbers of extra passengers. I made a point of dropping in to the Head Offices of West Midlands Trains and Avanti West Coast, and visited Network Rail at Baskerville House, where there were fewer than normal staff as many were out on the stations as part of the army of pink-jacketed helpers. In addition to the hundreds of rail staff and police there were 14000 volunteers working across the city to ensure everything went smoothly. For many, the burden of responsibility during the planning stage had been heavy. The throngs of extra passengers were a constant stress to all involved and the commitment and deployment of security resources by BTP was immense. The event was a tremendous success and a credit, not only to the Region, the City, local authorities and the organisers, but to every member of staff and volunteer who did their bit.

Inevitably, there were some hitches, a problem with the ticket checking system at the opening ceremony, strike action and industrial unrest and some problems with accommodation for outof-town officers. One officer had found that his room had absolutely no bedding included so he had to go out and buy some, while another officer had to move because of cockroaches. Generally, the atmosphere was best described as 'buzzing' with throngs of colourfully dressed fans moving around the network, the city, and other venues in the lovely sunny weather. There seemed to be people from all tribes and nations all embracing the atmosphere together, walking in harmony and peace. In talking with officers about crowd behaviour and response to the police presence, one officer said, 'it's great, it's not a football crowd.’