Elite police force to protect Tour de France
The Tour de France is normally secured by a force of police, the gendarmes, but for the first time this year the force will include an highly specialised elite police force, the GIGN (Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale), which includes a counter-terrorism branch.
The gendarmes have long kept the public safe from the normal dangers that surround a major, rolling festival like the Tour - they keep the fans from being hurt by passing cars or riders. Since the terrorist attacks in Paris killed 130 people last November, the terrorist alert level has been high all across France, extra security measures will be employed for the Tour de France.
ADVERTISEMENT
Earlier this week the Interior Ministry posted a graphic on Twitter describing the security plan for Tour de France. In addition to the GIGN squad, riders and teams will be protected throughout the entire race by a 12-person police force, and the race will be followed by 50 members of the Republican Guard on motorcycles, with command posts at each stage finish managed by the various host cities.
The GIGN come in addition to the more than 23,000 police and gendarmes that handle general road safety and traffic control. When the security plan was rolled out in May, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said they would leave nothing to chance.
"Everyone understands that this year, the Tour de France will take place in a particular context," Cazeneuve said, referring to the 'very high' terrorist threat level that has been in place since the Paris attacks.
— Ministère Intérieur (@Place_Beauvau) June 23, 2016
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/2916wnm
No comments:
Post a Comment