Brisbane takes unprecedented security measures for G20

G20 Summit

Final preparations have been made in Australia for the arrival of the leaders of the biggest industrialized economies for the annual G-20 summit this weekend. CCTV America’s Roee Ruttenberg reported this story from Brisbane.

The host city has deployed thousands of police officers and announced many other security measures.

In what is considered the largest peace-time security operation in Australia’s modern history, more than 6,000 police officers and 900 soldiers will be guarding the leaders during the two-day G-20 summit.

A cordoned-off security zone has also been announced for the event, complete with road closures, the installation of metal detectors, and even the introduction of foreign reinforcements.

“We’ve looked at the attacks that have occurred in Canada, and the United Kingdom and the USA. And they are clearly building an operation which will prevent any type of complex terror scenario from unfolding. But they are still concerned about the possibility of a lone actor carrying out a more rudimentary and lower scale attack,” said Neil Fergus, an international security consultant.

At least one man has already been arrested for threatening the U.S. President Barack Obama online. Police said they’re also scouring the internet for threats from militant Islamists. Security officials said they are concerned over mounting local criticism of Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, following the downing earlier this year of a commercial flight in Ukraine that killed nearly 300 people, 28 of them Australian.

The State’s Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said he is confident the security measures put in place will work, but added that there is always cause for worry.

“Certainly the world is a smaller place now, and something that happens, say in Syria, or in Europe, or in America, does have an effect on us in making sure that this event is conducted in a safe and dignified way,” Stewart said.

The government said it has spent more than $435 million on hosting the summit, with at least a fifth of that going to security.


Andrew O’Neil of Griffith University discusses security at G-20

CCTV America interviewed Andrew O’Neil, a political science professor at Griffith University, about the G-20 summit.