The Lille flea market begins this weekend from September 14 to 15 for a 2024 edition postponed by one week due to the Paralympic Games. To ensure the smooth running of this event, a significant security system is put in place by the mayor of Lille and the police.
This weekend of September 14-15 marks the grand return of the Lille flea market. A special 2024 edition, since for the first time in its history, the event has been postponed by a week due to the Paralympic Games.
This year again, the streets of the capital of Flanders will be stormed by nearly 2.5 million visitors looking for bargains or just coming to enjoy the atmosphere of the event.
These bargain hunters will be moving around an area dedicated to the sale, covering 400 hectares with more than 60 kilometres of stalls and around 5,500 exhibitors who will be located mainly in the districts of Old Lille, the city centre and Wazemmes.
A well-established method
In order to manage this influx of people, the organizers of the Lille flea market are applying a well-established law enforcement method that has already been used during the Olympic Games. “Lille has real expertise in hosting events with crowds, we are often told that,” Jacques Richir, deputy mayor of Lille, told BFMTV.com.
The security of the Lille flea market begins outside the area dedicated to it. The perimeter is surrounded by 1,200 tons of concrete blocks and 1,500 conventional barriers.
“Since the terrible attack in Nice, we decided to set up a secure flea market area with measures to prevent car-ramming attacks,” recalls Jacques Richir.
New for this 2024 edition, the municipality has invested in around ten new generation barriers. “We decided to test these metal protections, because they are easier to install and move than concrete blocks weighing several tons. If we are satisfied, we will take more for the following editions,” explains the deputy mayor.
Around the anti-ram device, there will be about sixty access doors to the flea market. The entrance will be controlled by the 750 municipal agents mobilized for the event. They will be supported in this task by the police. “There will be almost 2,000 police officers and gendarmes mobilized with 150 municipal police officers who will monitor the smooth running of the flea market,” indicates Jacques Richir.
Act as quickly as possible
To give more visibility to the police forces who will be in the middle of the crowd, the cameras of the European Metropolis of Lille (MEL) will be mobilized on the flea market. The departmental services in charge of security will scrutinize all the images captured.
“This is a system that is set up to allow the personnel on foot at the flea market to intervene very quickly. The members of the police force are geolocated, which allows us to know who to send,” says the head of the organization.
These cameras are also used to identify illegal sellers who do not have the necessary authorizations.
Particularly monitored areas
During the sale, the attention of the security forces is particularly focused on three areas well known to Lille students, many of whom will still be there for this 2024 edition: the Masséna-Solférino sector, the top of rue Royale in Vieux-Lille and Place Louise de Bettignies.
These party venues in the capital of Flanders will see their bars and restaurants remain open all night from Saturday to Sunday, which increases the risk of incidents related to alcohol consumption.
“We have very responsible operators who respect the rules. Those who don’t know that they are exposed to heavy sanctions, such as closing their terraces for six months,” warns Jacques Richir.
“We really trust the profession. Every year, we have very few fights and the judicial activity during the sale is calm, because we intervene quickly,” he adds.
In case of a health problem, bargain hunters can count on the presence of around 200 first aiders and 250 firefighters. During this weekend, hospitals will be on “high emergency” status.
