The Olympic Games are a pre-eminent sports and cultural event. In August 2004 some 17,000 athletes and official guides from 202 participating countries along with 8,000 members of the extended Olympic Family, 3,000 judges, 22,000 media professionals and more than two million visitors will be in Greece for the Games. Additionally, tens of millions of people around the world will watch the Olympic Games from their television sets. 

It`s a fact that preparations for this event are taking place during a period when security has been elevated into the most important parameter for its successful hosting.
Security for the 2004 Olympic Games has been institutionally assigned by the State to the Ministry of Public Order, and specifically to Hellenic Police, which is called upon to ensure an environment of absolute safety. 

For this purpose, Hellenic Police established a special autonomous service that falls under the direct jurisdiction of the Chief of Hellenic Police: the Olympic Games Security Division. 

The mission of the Olympic Games Security Division includes:

• Strategic planning of security and law enforcement measures necessary during preparations and the holding of the 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the Cultural Olympiad. 
• Supervision of the operational implementation of security plans.
• Coordination of all services and bodies involved with 2004 Olympic Games security.

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