An undeclared security exercise involving a man armed with a dummy assault rifle, organized at the initiative of a private security company, mobilized 130 police officers, firefighters and caregivers on Tuesday near Rouen, announced the prefecture of Seine-Maritime which condemns
“irresponsible behavior”
.
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At around 5:00 p.m., two witnesses called the police after seeing an individual armed with what appeared to be an assault rifle, break into an activity zone located in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, on the outskirts of Rouen, the prefecture said in a statement. A security perimeter was immediately put in place.
"In accordance with the national intervention plan, the police officers of the research and intervention brigade (BRI) of the territorial direction of the judicial police of Rouen were engaged in assault column assisted by many public security police officers, to a total of 80 police officers engaged, ”
the statement added. A Samu crew and 48 firefighters transported by 34 machines were also positioned nearby, while 30 firefighters and 14 machines remained on pre-alert.
"The removal of doubt was carried out by the assault column of the BRI on the entire site,"
said the prefecture.
"The police discovered that an exercise with dummy weapons was organized on their own initiative by agents of a private security company whose premises are located on the site, without the latter not informing or the police. , neither the authorities, nor the residents ”
, continues the prefecture. The Prefect of Seine-Maritime Pierre-André Durand
“strongly condemned this irresponsible behavior which gave rise to the engagement of nearly 130 police officers, firefighters and caregivers”.