For the second year in a row, New Year's Eve will be marked by a double challenge for the police: fight against the urban violence that punctuates each new year, while ensuring that the restrictions related to Covid-19 are respected. .
The night of Friday, December 31 to Saturday, January 1 will mobilize 95,000 police and gendarmes, indicates this Friday the Ministry of the Interior.
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In total, the security system represents 127,000 people, since it also includes 32,000 firefighters and civil security actors, detailed the ministry. In addition, nearly 3,200 soldiers of the Sentinel force are added to the system. The organization is roughly identical to that of 2020 (100,000 police and gendarmes). "
The slight decrease is explained by an increase in the device last year to enforce the curfew and by increased mobilization in the West Indies and New Caledonia for several weeks,
" said Beauvau.
They will be responsible in particular for enforcing a curfew for unaccompanied minors under the age of 16, which has been decreed in several municipalities, such as Strasbourg, Pange, Moselle, or Compiègne and Pont-Sainte-Maxence, in the Oise.
Dancing prohibited in bars and restaurants
Regarding the capital, the Paris police headquarters will mobilize 9,000 officials.
They will be particularly vigilant in the face of the terrorist threat, but will also have to face urban violence, such as traditional vehicle fires - and be vigilant for road checks, in order to fight against driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. .
The Champs-Élysées district will have special security measures to prevent any overflow onto the most famous French avenue.
Since the start of the week and until Monday, the Parisian police are also responsible for enforcing the decree prohibiting the acquisition and possession of fireworks.
Also in the capital, it will be forbidden to consume alcohol on the public highway from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in certain busy places, such as the Canal Saint-Martin.
The full list of places concerned was posted on the prefecture's Twitter account:
To limit the spread of the coronavirus in the population, and particularly of its variant Omicron, gatherings on public roads are prohibited, drinking establishments must all close at 2 a.m., while dancing is prohibited in bars and restaurants. .
The police will also control the wearing of a mask, which is once again compulsory in the streets of Paris, in the Paris region and in many cities, such as in Lyon.
"
Given the number of people or situations that we risk to manage, of course that risks being secondary"
to control the wearing of the mask, estimated on BFMTV David Le Bars, representative of the union of the commissioners.
Two weeks ago, the mayor of Paris had also announced the cancellation of the fireworks and concerts planned on the Champs-Élysées "
in view of the resurgence of the pandemic.
"
