Victoria police Chief Jamie Graham is refusing to talk about comments he made at a security conference this week, where he said an undercover officer spied on anti-Olympic protesters by driving a busload of them from the ferry to Victoria the opening day of the torch relay.

A newspaper reported that during the 12th Vancouver International Security Conference Monday, Graham disclosed that an undercover cop drove the bus that anti-Olympic protesters from the Lower Mainland had rented to get them to Victoria from the Swartz Bay terminal on Oct. 30.

"You knew that the protesters weren't that organized when on the ferry on the way over they all rented a bus, they all came over on a bus, and there was a cop driving the bus," he was quoted as telling an amused crowd by the free daily paper 24 Hours Vancouver.

The revelation was made public yesterday in an audio recording posted on the paper's website. The voice on the recording is attributed to Graham.

Graham reportedly said that uniformed police officers prepared for protesters, who were "probably going to be violent," by walking among the group of about 300 as they blocked traffic and rallied at the legislature.

Graham was one of the keynote speakers at the conference, which this year focused on security during the 2010 Olympics.

He refused to comment on his remarks.

While there were no arrests in Victoria related to the protests, the group blocked the torch relay by converging on the intersection of Cook Street and Rockland Avenue. That forced organizers to reroute the procession.

The action was considered a victory for the protesters but angered many -- particularly the affected torchbearers.

The protesters also reportedly threw marbles at horses of mounted police.

"No 2010" organizers in Victoria said police might have used agents provocateurs to incite violence and discredit dissidents.

kderosa@tc.canwest.com