The objective is to ensure the safety of the Olympic flame convoy, during its passage through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, and of the public, while maintaining a festive and popular spirit.
It has been more than six months since the securing of the 2024 Olympics, this event with global influence, has been studied in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
“The first reconnaissance took place in October 2023 with the national coordination for Games security (CNSJ). Since then, there have been a number of steering committees, meetings and site visits under the aegis joint of the CNSJ and the prefecture in association with the department and the town halls concerned”, recalls Michel Mallea, the divisional commissioner of Digne-les-Bains and boss of the police officers of Manosque and Digne.
And to ensure security on May 11 during the passage of the Olympic flame, the authorities have decided to deploy nearly 750 police officers and gendarmes in the department.
“The main objective is obviously that everything goes well while preserving at all costs a festive and popular spirit. It is not a question of ‘bunkering’ the route of the flame. The public must be able to fully enjoy this unique moment in good safety conditions and not leave frustrated It is this balance that must be found”, image Michel Mallea.
Impacted roads
His counterpart in the gendarmes is on the same wavelength. “The close security of the flame and the bearers is ensured by a specific device, in particular with gendarmes from the GIGN and the Republican Guard. In my capacity as commander of the AHP gendarmerie, my mission consists of ensuring the safety of spectators and participants in the torch relay, while allowing everyone to make the most of the spectacle”, specifies Colonel Pierre-Yves Bardy, commander of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence gendarmerie group.
“Due to the Vigipirate context, the protection measures are high but the town halls have been able to preserve public reception areas which allow optimal views of the passage of the flame. However, because the axes within the “municipalities which host the flame will be prohibited long before the passage of the flame, we invite road users to reduce their travel during this day and spectators to anticipate their arrival on the sites”, continues the soldier.
The main roads, particularly in Digne-les-Bains and Manosque, will inevitably be impacted by the festivities.
Two helicopters, 430 gendarmes
And for everything to go as smoothly as possible, the security system is important. In detail, on the gendarmerie side, 240 military gendarmes from the department will be engaged during the day specifically on this mission, in addition to permanent public security missions. They will be reinforced by 190 mobile gendarmes, or a total of 430 gendarmerie soldiers.
Regarding material resources, two helicopters with observation and emergency projection capabilities will be mobilized, bikers, dogs, intervention units, specialists in operational crossing of the PGHM and other technicalities.
For the police, a little more than 300 national and departmental officials will be deployed in each commune of Digne-les-Bains and Manosque. A large part is made up of mobile force units (CRS and National Gendarmerie Squadrons) supporting the departmental direction of the National Police (approximately 240). Added to this is the specific security of the convoy which is dissociated from the local system.
