Lots of police for lots of spectators. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced this Tuesday before the Senate that there would be an average of 30,000 police officers mobilized for the duration of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, to ensure security. Heard by the Culture and Laws Committees of the Senate, the Minister added that the opening ceremony alone would mobilize 35,000 internal security forces on July 26, 2024 and between “12,000 to 45,000 internal security forces depending on the day” for the duration of the events from July 26 to August 11, 2024, for Ile-de-France alone.
The organizer, he continued, “must also guarantee 3,000 private security agents” for the ceremony and the city of Paris has an objective of “3,000 recruitments” by 2024. The Minister of the Interior repeated that during this period there would be no “no holidays” for the staff of the Ministry of the Interior. And “it applies to all levels”.
“Zero crime” plans
Gérald Darmanin also asked the prefects concerned to “prepare zero crime plans” on venues hosting the Games, adding that “5,500 anti-delinquency operations including 3,500 in Ile-de-France” would be conducted “one year before”. There will be a “unprecedented effort” in favor of the interministerial crime prevention fund (44 million euros in 2024, i.e. the equivalent of a plan to equip 15,000 video surveillance cameras).
Gérald Darmanin also warned that cultural and sporting events would be “cancelled or postponed” during the Olympic Games, such as the Tour de France or the Lille clearance sale, scheduled during the period of the Paralympic Games (August 28-September 8). “We are not going to cancel all the events”, he still promised. Additionally, there will be no “no beach CRS that year”. In addition, the Minister of the Interior announced that the areas of competence between the police and the gendarmerie would be abolished during the Games.
600,000 spectators for the opening ceremony
The Minister reaffirmed that 25,000 private security agents would also be needed to complete the game security system, referring to the Rugby World Cup in the fall of 2023 which will constitute “a dress rehearsal” of the Olympics, and will require the mobilization of “7,000 police and gendarmes a day”.
A total of “600,000” people will be able to attend the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games which will take place on the Seine in Paris. The lower quays of the Seine will be accessible to 100,000 paying spectators, the upper quays will be free to 500,000 people, further detailed Gérald Darmanin, specifying that a “free ticket office” would be put in place to control the flow of spectators along the high platforms.
