- Title: France to deploy security force of 90,000 to police Euro 2016 - minister
- Date: 25th May 2016
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (MAY 25, 2016) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER, BERNARD CAZENEUVE, SAYING: "As far as the government is concerned, more that 77,000 personnel from the Interior Ministry will be mobilised. 42,000 policemen, of whom 25,000 will come from the public safety division, 5,000 from the border police, 2,000 riot police and 10,000 from the Paris police department, 30,000 from the rural police, 5,200 personnel from the civil security unit, 2,500 firemen and 300 from the bomb disposal squad."
- Embargoed: 9th June 2016 14:05
- Keywords: soccer Euro 2016 security police Cazeneuve
- Location: PARIS, SAINT-DENIS AND LILLE, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, SAINT-DENIS AND LILLE, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0044JB437R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: More than 90,000 police, soldiers and private security agents will be deployed across France to ensure safety for the Euro 2016 soccer tournament, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Wednesday (May 25).
The month-long tournament opens across France on June 10, with a state of emergency still in force after Islamist attacks last November that killed 130 people in Paris at several sites across the capital, including the Stade de France stadium.
"It (Euro 2016) is an exceptional event, which as has been said is taking place in an exceptional context, and as a result exceptional security measures must be put in place," Cazeneuve said.
77,000 people drawn from across France's security services will be joined by soldiers and private security guards to police the stadiums, fanzones, training grounds and hotels.
About 2.5 million spectators are expected for 51 soccer matches involving 24 teams in games played at 10 stadiums across France.
The fanzones, where matches will be projected on giant screens in major cities, have been cited as particularly vulnerable, but Cazeneuve said having fans grouped in one closed place was safer than dispersing them across cities.
"The fanzones will necessarily be in closed sites, under video surveillance and the entrances will be checked so that all spectators going inside will first be searched by security agents and will be subject to a visual search of the goods they're carrying," he said.
The tournament also comes at a time of mass protest ahead of next year's presidential elections - with wave after wave of violence-marred demonstrations against a labour reform law adding further challenges for a stretched police force. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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