G7-SUMMIT/SECURITY German police make final security preparations ahead of G7 summit

Record ID: 149872

  • Title: G7-SUMMIT/SECURITY German police make final security preparations ahead of G7 summit
  • Date: 2nd June 2015
  • Summary: MITTENWALD, GERMANY (JUNE 2, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GERMAN POLICE HELICOPTER VARIOUS OF AERIAL VIEW OF AREA AROUND MITTENWALD VARIOUS OF PEOPLE INSIDE HELICOPTER MOUNTAINS PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURE OF MOUNTAINS MOUNTAINS HELICOPTER FLYING MOUNTAINS HELICOPTER LANDING ON MOUNTAIN SIGN FOR GERMANY HELICOPTER ON MOUNTAIN HIKERS' HUT ON MOUNTAIN AT THE GERMAN-AUSTRIAN BO
  • Embargoed: 17th June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVADGQNTT8JBEQEE9NAWSBRQ7LO7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: German police stepped up their presence in southern Bavaria on Tuesday (June 2) just days before the G7 summit was set to take place in a luxury hotel in the area.
    German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to host the heads of the Group of Seven industrial countries on Sunday (June 7) and Monday (June 8) for a meeting at the elite Schloss Elmau castle.
    The leaders of Germany, France, the United States, Japan, Canada, the UK and Italy will gather for their annual two-day meeting, held in a different member state each year, for discussions about various global issues such a security, energy and the economy.
    Police carried out air patrols in helicopters on Tuesday, surveying the mountainous airspace around the village of Mittenwald.
    According to a police spokesperson, 13 police helicopters will be in use during the summit and will have several uses.
    "The helicopters are a very important tool for us. They are used first of all to transport the delegations from the airport to Schloss Elmau castle or other locations relevant to the event. On the other hand, the helicopters are used to support police operations, such as intelligence but we also need them for the surveillance of the no-fly zone," police spokesperson Peter Reichl said.
    A team of police officers are also to be stationed at a hikers' hut in the mountains this weekend, to keep a watchful eye of the German-Austrian border.
    The hut is so remote that it can only be reached by helicopter.
    Altogether some 17,000 German police officers will be on duty during the summit: 10,000 from Bavaria and the rest from other areas of the country, the police said.
    A mesh fence and security perimeter have been set up 16 kilometres around the venue to stop any unauthorised people nearing the venue.
    On Tuesday police could also be seen carrying out security checks on cars and Reichl assured locals that the police are well prepared, especially after violent riots occurred during the opening of the new European Central Bank building in Frankfurt in March.
    "We realised that the community here, which we have visited again and again, that there is a certain unease among the people about what is going to happen [during the summit] and if there will be the same situation as in Frankfurt. The people here are worried about this, and our message is very clear: stay calm. They will find a very strong police presence this weekend. You can already see the teams here in place and that is increasing day by day," he said.
    Police have already said that they expect several thousand protesters to gather in the area around Schloss Elmau, with first large demonstrations expected in Munich on Thursday (June 4) and in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Saturday (June 6).
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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