The sandy beaches of the coast have been replaced by the asphalt of Paris: in this month of July 2024, the 280 CRS lifeguards (MNS) that make up the national police force have been mobilized in Paris and the Ile-de-France region, to participate in maintaining the security of the Olympic Games (JO). Usually deployed on the French coasts during the summer season, these specialists are tasked with rescuing people in distress at sea, but also with monitoring French beaches and coasts, in order to maintain security and to fine users who break the rules. “We are the only lifeguards to be armed. In the event of a terrorist attack on a beach, for example, we are the first to be able to respond and offer an initial intervention,” explains Patrice Martin, national representative of the CRS MNS for the police union Unité.
This year, all the personnel were requisitioned in order to maintain nautical surveillance around the Olympic village and in the Paris region, or to reinforce the classic CRS companies. “It was not planned that we would be replaced on the beaches, and the mayors of the municipalities concerned had to organize themselves by reinforcing their municipal police, for example,” regrets Patrice Martin, who fears, as a result, “opportunity-based crime” on certain French coasts.
The Ministry of the Interior, for its part, recalls that the leave restrictions granted by police officers and gendarmes for this summer of 2024 will allow an increased presence in coastal areas, with “14,000 additional agents specifically mobilized in all departments” compared to the same period in 2023.
“All police professions”
During this Olympic period, the CRS MSN are not the only ones to have seen their personnel requested for the security of the Games: during the two weeks of the competition, more than 35,000 police officers and gendarmes will be deployed throughout France – a figure that will rise to 45,000 for the opening ceremony organized on the Seine. To support these troops, 18,000 French soldiers will also be present around the competition sites, and around 2,000 foreign police officers have joined the troops. To achieve such an objective, the Ministry of the Interior has not hesitated to mobilize all of its troops – even the most unexpected specialties. Around thirty of the 200 CRS mountain rescuers will leave the French summits for a few weeks, in order to reinforce the units present in Paris and Marseille.
The expertise of these agents, who assist hikers, paragliders and other high mountain guides all year round, could prove very useful during competitions. “For example, we are able to quickly remove banners from trees or buildings, safely bring down activists from high places, or assist BRI or Raid agents for high-altitude missions”, summarizes Emmanuel Freyche, national referent of the CRS mountain units. The usual missions of these agents, more than necessary during this summer period, will not be eliminated: their vacation periods have simply been postponed or eliminated, in order to maintain priority assistance in the areas concerned. “On the other hand, it is not guaranteed that we will be able to benefit from the three civil security helicopters normally sent as reinforcements during this season, which could significantly delay our interventions in the mountains”, he explains.
To maintain the ambitious objective announced by the Ministry of the Interior, the Secretary General of the Alliance Police Nationale Eric Henry recalls that “all police professions” have been mobilized, “from student peacekeepers to reservists, including assistant police officers and scientific police personnel”. The union representative also indicates that certain specialized brigades have been called in as reinforcements in very specific areas – this is the case in particular for bomb disposal experts, dog brigades, horse riders, anti-drone units and police physiognomists. “They will be responsible for identifying all suspicious elements, fighting pickpockets, and passing on information from the field to the intelligence services, for example”, the police officer explains.
Additional training
Administrative staff, who usually carry out secretarial, human resources or personnel management missions, will also be mobilised in the field, for “support” missions. “They will be required to carry out security missions for example, with vehicle and bag inspections, identity checks, etc. For this, they have received a week’s training and will be accompanied by so-called ‘active’ officers, who will be able to act physically in the event of an operational mission”, explains Eric Henry. The same goes for assistant police officers, also mobilised, who cannot receive complaints, draw up reports or consult police files, but have the ability to issue tickets for minor offences, write up a report or immobilise vehicles.
The 12,000 reservists of the national police force, finally, represent a significant pool to guarantee the security of these Olympic Games. “Retired or from civil society, they are considered as ‘active’ police officers, are armed and can intervene in the event of an operational mission”, guarantees Eric Henry. If these officers have not received additional training for the Olympic Games, the referent of the reserve police officers for the Alliance union Pierre Theron assures that each volunteer had to meet certain requirements. “You have to be up to date with your shooting training, and physically fit. The reservists are also very well trained in their initial course, and benefit from continuous training and a mentoring system”, guarantees the police officer, who confirms that these officers “will never find themselves alone in the field”.
For Grégory Joron, the “100%” commitment of these personnel and the restrictions on leave will make it possible to avoid possible “gaps in the racket” during the Olympic Games, even if the situation remains, according to him, “slightly tense from a logistical point of view”. “Around 2,000 active personnel have been mobilized in New Caledonia, and are therefore missing from the initial forecasts. There is also a shortage of several hundred administrative staff, which has some consequences on the fluidity of the mobilizations, with colleagues notified at the last minute, for example”, he illustrates. In return for the strong commitment of the police and gendarmes during the period, Eric Henry recalls, for his part, that “bonuses and the payment of overtime” have been negotiated with the Ministry of the Interior.
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