More than 90,000 police officers and gendarmes, as well as 5,000 soldiers from Operation Sentinel, will be deployed throughout the country as part of New Year’s Eve, this Sunday, December 31, announced Gérald Darmanin during a press briefing at the end of week.
This year, the New Year is taking place in a tense security context, with France being at the “emergency attack” level since October 13, the highest level of the Vigipirate plan. 6,000 law enforcement officers will also be deployed in Paris, added the Minister of the Interior, who specified that “73 units of mobile forces including four units of the new CRS8” were part of the system, as well as helicopters .
A million people expected on the Champs-Elysées
In the capital, authorities expect to see between 700,000 and a million people flock to the Champs-Elysées, and more than 1.5 million throughout the city. The festivities are more important than last year, to launch the Olympic and Paralympic Games which will take place next summer in Paris. The sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited and traffic restricted in certain areas of the capital. The celebrations will begin at 6 p.m. and end around 12:30 a.m., said police chief Laurent Nuñez.
The Interior Ministry is concerned about the “very high terrorist threat due to the conflict in Israel and Palestine”. Bag checks and pat-downs should make it possible to remove weapons, weapons by destination and bottles, which are prohibited within the secure perimeter. Drones will also be deployed. The police chief stressed that the police would be required, depending on the circumstances, to deploy throughout the Paris metropolitan area – Paris and the inner suburbs. Laurent Nuñez also specified that “two helicopters will be deployed above the neighborhoods”, notes The Parisian.
For his part, Gérald Darmanin insisted on the mobilization of law enforcement agencies overseas, particularly in Guyana and Mayotte, as well as in two mainland cities, Charleville-Mézières and Romans-sur-Isère. In a context of significant terrorist risk, he also recalled that the intelligence services were fully mobilized.
Vigilance on fireworks mortars
The Minister of the Interior, who on December 21 asked the prefects to fight against the “circulation” of “firework mortars” and the “proliferation” of pyrotechnic articles for the end-of-year celebrations, as recalled Franceinfowelcomed the fact that mortar seizures had increased by “45%” compared to the same period last year.
Many prefectures have therefore issued orders against the purchase and use of fireworks during New Year’s Eve. “This is the case in the Paris metropolitan area where the sale, carrying and transport of fireworks and fuels are prohibited. In several other departments, such as Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Hérault, Haute-Garonne or even the Loire, prefectural decrees have been taken to prevent the sale”, lists the information site.
“80%” of municipal police officers on strike
Up to 80% of municipal police officers planned on the ground will be in strike for New Year’s Eve and January 1, two organizations behind the movement said this Sunday. A collective comprising several unions and associations has in fact called on agents to strike for these two days to demand, in particular, better pay conditions. Rallies were also announced in front of regional prefectures on February 3.
The Territorial Civil Service Federation (FFPT)-CFTC demanded “a rapid consultation of the organizations representing the profession”: “We cannot support a further extension of the skills of municipal police officers whose social situation, with regard to remuneration and regime retirement, is far below our national counterparts, police and gendarmes.”
The entourage of the delegated minister in charge of local authorities, Dominique Faure, who said last Monday that he was “hopeful” to reach an agreement with the representatives of the 26,000 municipal police officers, confirmed to AFP a meeting on January 12, during which she will “make proposals” to them.
These Sundays and Mondays, certain agents will only intervene in the event of “danger to people or property, attacks, fires with risk of propagation, but not on everyday incivilities”, specified this municipal police officer. of Tours.