German police prepare for terrorists, violent hooligans, travelling criminals and deported migrants trying to enter during Euro 2024 by banning all police holiday and beefing up their borders
- The European Championships start on June 14 at the Allianz Arena in Munich
- A total of 2.7 million fans are expected in the stadiums and up to 12 million in the host cities
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According to reports, German police will introduce a robust five-point plan to ensure they can deal with any security threat during the European Championships next month.
The highly anticipated tournament starts on June 14 in Munich with a match between the host countries and Scotland at the Allianz Arena.
The match will see the first part of an expected 2.7 million fans in stadiums and up to 12 million in fan zones and other areas in the ten host cities.
The German police are intensifying their preparations and will focus in particular on five ‘perpetrator groups’ – terrorists, violent hooligans, traveling criminals, including thieves and serious criminals – according to Bild.
The newspaper claims that a total of 22,000 federal police officers will be deployed every day to borders, stadiums, public viewing areas, airports, train stations and sensitive areas of critical infrastructure.
German police have stepped up their preparations for next month’s European Championships
Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena will host the opener between Germany and Scotland on June 14
German police took part in an operational exercise at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart earlier this month
These will reportedly consist of 25 police units, 50 mobile surveillance units, 45 emergency trains with officials from administrations and offices and 45 trains with young police officers in their second year of training.
In addition, there is a ban on police holidays during the month-long tournament.
Bild reports that law enforcement agencies are particularly concerned about the risk of hooligans during the European Championships.
In March, Mail Sport reported that thousands of football fans have been banned from watching England in Germany under pressure from the British government.
More than 1,600 fans banned from football will be forced to surrender their passports to police from June 4 until the European Championship final on July 14 to ensure they do not attempt to attend matches.
Anyone who fails to surrender their passport or attempts to travel to Germany faces a large fine or prison sentence, with a maximum sentence of six months.
The new powers to force fans to hand over their passports were introduced following a wave of football-related violence in recent years, with police making 2,264 arrests during matches last season and issuing 682 new banning notices, the highest figure since 2011.
Meanwhile, Bild reports that German hooligans are preparing to riot, seeing the event as a ‘home match’ where ‘presence’ must be shown.
One source says: ‘The hooligan and ultra scenes in particular have an increased potential for aggression and an affinity for violence. Disruptive actions should be expected, especially outside official locations – if the opportunity arises.’
One source told Bild: ‘The hooligan and ultra scene in particular have an increased potential for aggression and an affinity for violence’
In March, Mail Sport reported that thousands of England fans have been banned from traveling to Germany for the duration of the Euro 2024 tournament.
As a result, fan groups that are particularly hostile will reportedly be assessed internally as a ‘red game’ during the European Championships, with security measures increased to deal with the threat.
Measures such as threatening speeches, reporting obligations, access bans to areas, expulsions and detention will be used. In addition, identified violent agitators are not allowed to purchase tickets.