MADRID (AFP) - Spain will draft some 35,000 police to beef up security, according to a dossier handed to the International Olympic Committee who were mulling the specifics of Madrid's 2012 Olympic bid.
In all, 17,500 police, roughly a third of whom will come from outside the capital, will join 11,500 civil guard and 6,000 municipal police to ensure visitor safety if Madrid wins the bid.
Added to the equation will be 9,000 private security guards, 4,700 volunteers, 2,300 firefighters, 122,000 civil protection officers and 3,000 Red Cross workers, the dossier reveals.
Madrid is particularly concerned to prove its mettle in terms of guaranteeing security if it sees off opposition from Paris, London, Moscow and New York to land the 2012 jamboree after suffering the worst terrorist attack in its history with train bombings last March which left 191 people dead.
In May, when the finalists were selected, Madrid placed second behind Paris but scored its poorest rating among selection criteria for security -- 6.4-7.4 out of ten with the city's overall score hitting 8.3, compared with 8.5 for Paris.
"We hope to boost that score by putting an emphasis on security in the dossier," Spanish Minister for Sport Jaime Lissavetsky told AFP.
The IOC will make its final decision on the 2012 hosts on July 6, 2005.
11/17/2004 - 19:21 GMT - AFP