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The police are on edge, while the week promises to be tense with the arrivals of Pope Francis and King Charles III, but also several Rugby World Cup matches.
This is what we call a busy, high-risk week for law enforcement. Rarely has France hosted so many leading personalities, as well as events in several cities at the same time. The Minister of the Interior has just sent a letter to all the prefects: “I ask you to moveread all the resources available from the services under your authority.”
Up to 30,000 police officers deployed
Rest days and training have been canceled. Ten months before the Games, France knows that it has no room for error. “We know that we are scrutinized by our fellow citizens nationalthen by all foreign countries who are looking at how France will succeed in this security”, explains Camille Chaize, spokesperson for the ministry. The system will evolve over the days: there will be 8,000 gendarmes and police officers deployed in France, and up to 30,000 on Saturday, with several demonstrations but also the arrival of Pope Francis in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône).