The Paris police chief compares this evening to “a small part of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games” and announces the mobilization of “several thousand” of police, gendarmes and soldiers.
A security device “exceptional” inspired by that for the Olympic Games will be put in place for the reopening of Notre-Dame on December 7 and 8 with “thousands” of mobilized law enforcement officers, Paris police prefect Laurent Nuñez declared on Sunday.
For this event which will be “watched around the world”, “we drew a lot of inspiration from what we achieved during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, both for the management of the ceremonies themselves and for the arrangements for welcoming the public and the regulatory security measures”details Prefect Nuñez in an interview with Le Parisien.
“Geographically speaking, it’s a small part of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games”he adds.
Several thousand police officers, gendarmes and soldiers
“Several thousand” police officers and gendarmes, as well as soldiers from the Sentinel system, will be mobilized for this event which is being held in a context of “very high level of terrorist threat, like during the Olympics”. “There was, to my knowledge, no real threat to the event”specifies the prefect. The BRI (Research and Intervention Brigade) will be in “intervention reserve” and “precision shooters” will carry out “monitoring at high points”he explains again.
Around fifty heads of state are expected for the reopening of the cathedral. Only guests will be able to access the square and the building, the capacity of which is 3,000 people maximum, recalls the police prefect.
On the high platforms near the building, a “area will be developed” to welcome the public. A maximum of 40,000 people will be able to access it.
An anti-terrorist perimeter known as SILT will be set up. It will encompass “the entire Île de la Cité and a large part of the left bank quays (of the Seine, Editor’s note), from the Pont de la Tournelle to the Pont Neuf”details Mr. Nuñez. Traffic restrictions will be put in place in this area and all businesses on the Île de la Cité will be closed during the reopening weekend, he said again. Metro stations will also be closed.
Excluding guests and spectators, service providers, technicians and other stakeholders accessing the site will be “riddled” by the security services, or “a few hundred” of people.
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