European police forces meet in Paris to ensure security for the Olympic Games

The Paris Olympic Games will welcome thousands of athletes from all over the world, as well as police officers from some forty countries, who will be supporting the French police forces in providing security for the world’s biggest sporting event.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games open in Paris on Friday (26 July), amid almost unprecedented security measures, and close on 11 August.

The Ministry of the Interior relied on the National Coordination for the Security of the Olympic Games (CNSJ) and more specifically on the Directorate for International Security Cooperation (DCIS).

The DCIS is overseeing the deployment of 1,800 international police officers from some 40 countries, including Qatar, Morocco, Chile, Canada, South Korea, Brazil, and 31 European countries.

“The target countries have been identified by the DCIS network of internal security services, on the basis of needs expressed by French internal security directorates, units and services”, the Ministry of the Interior told Euractiv.

In concrete terms, the foreign police officers include dog teams to search for explosives, anti-drone teams, border guards, spotters (the police officers who spot violent supporters), bomb disposal experts, horse riders, and motorcyclists.

These reinforcements will be supporting officers from the Paris Police Prefecture, the national police force, the national gendarmerie, and civil security. Many of them will be stationed at railway stations, airports and near the 39 Olympic venues.

The Spanish out in force

According to the official website of the Spanish national police, officers from the peninsula have been patrolling the streets of Paris since 11 July.

Some 300 Spanish officials will be deployed, including 175 police officers and 142 members of the civil guard, as well as members of the army, the largest operation in history outside the country, according to El Mundo. Spain is also Europe’s biggest contributor of security forces.

The Spanish forces will be involved in the ‘last mile’, where the crowds will be the densest, inside the stadiums, during the opening and closing ceremonies, in the centres where the national delegations will be staying, and on public transport.

To carry out their duties, these agents will have their usual weapons at their disposal, which has been authorised by the French Ministry of Interior.

The security angle of Franco-German relations

Police cooperation between Paris and Berlin has been particularly effective in recent months, with Germany hosting Euro 2024 football a few weeks ago.

Since 2019, the Franco-German unit (UOFA) has brought together around sixty people from the French national gendarmerie and the German federal police to work on prevention and awareness-raising initiatives on both sides of the Rhine.

“We will be in Paris until 9 September […]. Our aim is to be visible and identified by visitors to deter potential thieves,” Bertrand Loubette, a French officer in the Franco-German operational unit, explained to Euractiv.

Since 23 July, the UOFA’s services have been based at the Jean-Bouin stadium in Paris, close to the German Olympic House, to act as an interface with supporters and provide information to the public.

British volunteers in Paris

The UK’s National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) confirmed to Euractiv that “a small number [of British police officers] will be present in Paris and Marseille. Our officers will not be armed, they will be there to support the French officers who are leading the operations.”

Fifty British police volunteers will join the operation. Around 500,000 tickets for the competition have been sold in the UK.

The European framework for police cooperation

At a European level, the Prüm decisions aim to promote cooperation between the police and judicial authorities of the EU countries to combat terrorism and cross-border crime. Events such as the Olympic Games fall within the scope of these agreements.

Partnerships to ensure the security of major international events are common and the security arrangements for the Paris Olympics are part of an existing European and international framework.

During Euro 2016, for example, France benefited from the security support of 23 countries.

Last year, more than 160 European police officers and gendarmes travelled to France for the Rugby World Cup. Conversely, France sent 220 gendarmes to Qatar for the 2022 Football World Cup.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]

Read more with Euractiv