France will deploy more than 90,000 police officers and gendarmes for New Year's Eve. The cities of Paris and Strasbourg will be under heightened surveillance.
In Paris alone, around 10,000 police and military personnel will be mobilised to ensure the smooth running of the New Year's Eve celebrations.
"We have 10,000 security forces, including police officers, gendarmes, firefighters, soldiers from the Opération Sentinelle, as well as paramedics and municipal police, who will be engaged in securing the Champs-Élysées," said Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez in an interview on BFM TV on Tuesday.
"This is roughly the same number as last year," Nuñez added.
The Champs-Élysées
The Champs-Élysées avenue will host the city of Paris's New Year’s Eve celebration on Tuesday evening, featuring shows and musical performances, and is expected to attract "over a million people."
"The terrorist threat remains very high. We have been in a state of ‘attack emergency’ since March 2024," Nuñez said.
Nationwide, about 90,000 police officers and gendarmes will be mobilised for New Year's Eve, the Interior ministry spokesperson Camille Chaize told franceinfo.
This represents "one in two police officers and one in two gendarmes working on the evening of 31 December."
Strasbourg under surveillance
Other high-risk areas have been identified across France, including several cities in Isère, such as Grenoble and Échirolles, which have seen sporadic urban violence, according to Chaize.
"The eastern part of France, especially Strasbourg, is "under heightened surveillance.
The city has experienced several days of public order disturbances, with more than fifty cars and garbage bins set on fire in several neighborhoods.
(with newswires)
