It's a tough job but someone's got to do it.
In this case, senior constables Amanda Williamson and Jaimee Foster-Daley have been deployed from Canberra to Paris for the Olympics.
They are assigned to a police station in the 15th arrondissement from where they patrol the Olympics venues for the volleyball, handball, table tennis and beach volleyball contests.
"We are assigned to a group of Police Nationale," Senior Constable Williamson said. She and her colleagues' main usefulness, she said, was as English-speakers at venues crowded with English-speakers from around the world.
The French government was grateful. "I sincerely thank the Australian Federal Police and all these Australian policemen and women for their contribution to the safe and secure delivery of the Games," the French ambassador to Australia, Pierre-André Imbert, said.
All told, there are 1800 law-enforcers from 40 countries around the world at the Olympics. The two from Canberra are in a group of 15 AFP officers from all over Australia.
They find themselves mostly with members of the Sheriff's Department of Los Angeles and police from Britain and Spain.
Despite the different geographical backgrounds, Senior Constable Williamson said they were united by a common policing culture.
"The policing culture transcends some of the language barriers," she said. "It's a really good cohesive group."
Both of the Canberra officers are acting sergeants.
Amanda Williamson is part of an AFP planning department in Canberra, preparing for big events like demonstrations but also providing "green light corridors" so dignitaries and political leaders from abroad whizz through the traffic.
So for her, the crowd aspect of the Olympics is particularly interesting - "intriguing" is the word she uses.
Senior Constable Jaimee Foster-Daley spends more time on the streets, patrolling in Tuggeranong.
The "AFP security liaison officers", as they're called, had also worked with the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia to make sure the Australian teams were "safe and secure".
They were also involved in security planning for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and the ASEAN summit.
The team had been preparing in Paris since November. Its commander, Detective Superintendent Peta Maddigan, said: "We are proud to be representing the AFP, supporting Australians competing and attending, and contributing to the safe and secure execution of this once-in-a-lifetime event."
The Canberra pair are due to return on September 10.
