Managing community tensions with the business community: A case study of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

London being the host city of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games presented new and massive challenges to the Metropolitan Police, the community tension monitoring process and the business communities of the capital. The London 2012 Olympics were hugely successful but also incredibly disruptive on London’s business community (Reuters 2012). This is to be expected when a mega-event is hosted in a major city centre. The police service worked closely with other agencies and with the business community to monitor and manage the tensions of the business community and address the concerns raised post 2011 disorder and pre-Olympic Games. This chapter takes a short look at how the Metropolitan Police handled community tension monitoring in the run up to and during the Games, and how the lessons learned here can be replicated elsewhere.