Perched on the roof terrace of a bateau-mouche, Pascal Laulhé scans the grey currents of the Seine. Before his eyes, three zodiacs filled with half a dozen agents from the Intervention Company (CI) patiently await his green light. As they do every week, and more particularly in anticipation of the Paris Olympic Games, these urban police units specializing in maintaining public order are training with the capital’s River Brigade to embark and disembark moving boats, or to intervene quickly on the banks of the Seine. “Fluv’ 1, 2 and 3, start the exercise,” the instructor finally says into his walkie-talkie, immediately triggering the start of the simulation. On the river, the boats speed along at an impressive speed. In a few seconds, they catch up with the bateau-mouche, the fictitious “target” of the morning.
Simultaneously, the three boats stick to the sides of the bateau-mouche. The agents, armed and helmeted, jump on deck and deploy hastily, ready to intervene. On board, an instructor in charge of supervising the management of weapons observes each movement, from the carrying of long weapons to the orientation of the cannons, in order to avoid any accident. Just as quickly, the agents get back on their inflatables and move away from the imposing boat – they will repeat this exercise three times in less than an hour.
From the outside, the intervention would seem almost innocuous. But Sophie Malherbe-Mayeux, divisional commander and head of department of the River Brigade, recalls the technical nature of such actions. “For the intervention companies, the difficulty is learning to work in a place they do not control, with a moving boat, risks of falling, in an extremely dangerous environment that requires hyper-vigilance,” she explains.
While the ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and many competition events are planned on the Seine, the commander recalls the need for the mobility work of the agents, who must prepare “for all unforeseen events”. “This is not specific to the Olympic Games: we did not wait for them to be organized to train”, she insists. The hundred police officers of the river brigade, sometimes supported by specialized agents, thus regularly act on the water to guarantee the safety of the river and its proper functioning.
“Speed can be decisive”
Last week, for example, police officers stopped a burglary that was taking place on a boat, or freed a boatman who had found himself stuck in a bad situation on the Seine. “We can also intervene in cases of illness, fights, noise pollution, and securing events,” explains the head of department. When asked about the added value of the intervention company for securing an event such as the Olympic Games, the commander does not hesitate for a second. “Speed can be decisive,” she says.
And for good reason. During a second dock landing exercise, the brigades of the intervention company jump out of the inflatables and deploy before our eyes on the banks of the Seine, ready for the assault, in less than thirty seconds. “We have to be able to provide a very rapid response on the water and on the ground. The start of the Olympics will not mark the end of training, there are no plans to take our foot off the gas,” assures Sophie Malherbe-Mayeux. In addition to the agents deployed on the Seine, the commander also points out that around thirty lifeguards and around thirty divers train almost daily in the river, particularly in the event of a fall into the water – which can be more than perilous in the event of almost zero visibility. “Our divers also support the technical and scientific police, and take care of underwater security missions,” adds the commander. Having been in charge of the service for four years, she says she is “ready” to celebrate the Olympic Games, and assures that her brigade will be “fully mobilized.”