MINISTRY OF PUBLIC ORDER
HELLENIC POLICE HEADQUARTERS
PRESS OFFICE
Athens, 20/04/2007
PRESS RELEASE
In the presence of the Minister of Public Order Mr Byron Polydoras and under the presidency of the Chief of Greek Police Lieutenant-General Anastasios Dimoschakis, it was carried out today (20-4-2007) at 10:00 in the Ministry of Public Order, a deliberation on the presentation of Security Plan for the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE football finals and basketball EURO LEAGUE Final Four , that will be carried out in Athens, in 23/5/2007 and 4-6/5/2007 respectively. In the Deliberation the Mayor of Athens, Mr Nikitas Kaklamanis participated.
The following high ranked officials attended the meeting: the Deputy Chief of the Hellenic Police Lieutenant General Stylianos Syros, the Head of the Hellenic Police General Staff Lieutenant General Vassilios Tsiatouras, the Police Inspector General for Southern Greece Lieutenant General Christos Drakopoulos , the Heads of the Branches of the Police Headquarters Major Generals, Stephanos Skotis, Grigorios Anagnostou and Dimitrios Panopoulos, the General Police Commander of Attica Major General Ioannis Boutsikas, the Director of the Security Division Drossos Bougoudis and other police officials.
During the Deliberation, senior officers of the General Police Directorate of Attica presented the Operational Security Plans which are designedd for the security of the two big sporting events that will be carried out in Athens.
The security measures are divided in four phases for every sporting event
Phase A: Preparation
Phase B: Before Match Day
Phase C: Match Day
Phase D: Deactivation
The Security Plan includes more specifically:
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The security of the O.A.K.A Complex
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The administration of organized fans (arrivals-departures, places of residence, transport facilities, transportation to the city area)
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The security of the VIPs
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The security of the concurrent events that are going to be carried out in the city.
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The security of the places of residence of athletes-attendants, VIP, referees, sponsors, guests, journalists e.t.c.
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The security of training locations.
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The security of the city area.
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The administration of traffic.
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The security of transportation
The experience and the know how that was obtained during the planning and the realization of the security measures of the Olympic Games of 2004 in Athens contributed in the planning of the security plan of UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE football sporting events and basketball EURO LEAGUE and in the realization of the operational plans
The Minister of Public Order addressed a greeting, in which he mentioned the following:
«Today we have the responsible task of presenting the Plan for the Final Four and the Champions League and we particularly appreciate the presence of Mr Mayor in this deliberation.
The Police work does not exist beyond the political and social phenomenon. Never and nowhere in history. Thus, we particularly appreciate the collaboration with the Municipality, as well as the collaboration with the National Football Federation and all the involved agencies for the Final Four.
We want to offer these two sporting events in the Greek Society and in the global community as a sample of culture, of athletic ideal and at the same time to offer a picture, an example of operational readiness from the side of Municipal Authority and mainly of the Police Authority.
I wish that we will be able to expose-present these events to the global community as an achievement of good collaboration and organisation – collaboration from our side and finally as a peaceful and cultural event. In such a way so that the substance, the picture and the value of athletic events are maintained.
The final wish: The Police to be out of work in the case of these events. Then we will have the absolute social, cultural quality and level.
We welcome the Mayor, whom I call on the stand to share with us fertile and productive thoughts. Thank you».
Following, the Mayor of Athens Mr. Nikitas Kaklamanis addressed a meeting , through which he expressed his certainty that the effort of the Hellenic Police will be crowned with success, and that with its substantial contribution the two international events will take the form of a celebration for the city of Athens and of its promotion abroad. He also stressed the fact that such phenomena are condemned by the great majority of society and that they take place internationally. He finally thanked the Hellenic Police and the Minister for his cooperation during the three months of his turn as a Mayor of Athens.
The Chief of the Hellenic Police after the opening remarks, stated the following:
The operational plan was carried out by senior officers of the General Police Directorate of Attica, who had been involved in the past in the operational plan and the implementation of security measures for the security of the Olympic Games. This is why I am confident the plan will be implemented successfully.
Another issue is that of the cooperation of the Hellenic Police with other Agencies and Institutions regarding the two international athletic events Final Four and Champions League Final.
We plan to ask for international police cooperation as well, while a task force comprised by the Chiefs of Police in the European Union will soon be formed. Our goal is to assist police forces to safeguard athletic games
The Chief of the Hellenic Police concluded that cooperation with the Municipality of Athens is crucial because it is the relevant institution hosting the two international Championships.
After the presentation of the operational plan, the Chief of the Hellenic Police pointed out that the emphasis will be on the control of the fans starting from the airports and ending with the Olympic Stadium. Moreover in the Olympic Stadium the security measures applied for the Olympic Games will be reactivated ( external perimeter, internal perimeter etc)
Finally, the Minister of Public Order and the Chief of the Hellenic Police closed the meeting with statements to the press and answered journalist questions.
After the termination of the Deliberation statements were carried out in the media:
The Minister of Public Order stated: «We had a long Deliberation, in which the Planning Committee with the relevant Police Leader Mr. Karavitis, presented us the Plan for the two athletic events, the Plan that ensures the peaceful process of FINAL FOUR and CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Final.
The presentation of the Plan gave us the opportunity to exchange ideas because the Plan is improving- developing. The following institutions or entities: Police, Municipality of Athens- the Mayor of Athens and the relevant for the Municipal Police honored us with their presence-EPO with the presence of the group with leader Mr. Theodoridis and the Services of Vehicular and Airports Safety.
Conclusion and goal: Through the collaboration of entities that I mentioned and the international collaboration which administers the Leader and international athletic organisations E.P.O., UEFA, we intend to, we take all the measures so we can offer to Greece, to the Greek society and to the European society and to the measure of global interest, peaceful athletic events.
It was underlined from everyone and especially from the Leader of General Police Department of Attica that we take all the measures so as to present this society and this Country as Metropolis of culture. We all are under the beneficial shade of successful conduct of Olympic Games and we want the repetition of success of big athletic events that are hosted in Athens».
Referring to the likely presence of fans of foreign teams that will not have tickets in Athens, Mr. Minister declared: «Greek Police has the responsibility and the exclusive relevance for the measures of order in the national territory of Greece. The rest are variants of international collaboration. As the Leader said, we will develop all variants of international collaboration, from the prevention of incontrollable visitors or visitors without ticket to the measures, the security forces that have the teams that are moved. The responsibility and the relevance according to the Constitution, the Law, the national pride and the Polices Pride, belong to Greek Police that undertake them».
The Leader of Greek Police declared: « The officers, which planned and implemented safety measures during the period of Olympic Games, are those which today presented the relevant Plan for FINAL FOUR and CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. The Centre of Enterprises of Olympic Stadium which was used during the period of Olympic Games is activated with the same and completed composition. With this Centre is going to collaborate the Centre of Enterprises, which is already decided by the Ministry of Sports, with cameras in the fighting fields.
Our checks begin mainly from the airports but also from fans homelands thats why we have already started a collaboration with all Polices of European Union in the sphere of EUROPOL. A Synod of Leaders of European Unions Polices will be carried out in Hagen on 3th and 4th May and it will be asked by the colloquist and his counterparts. Also our checks concerning the fighting fields will be in double zone, in the exterior perimeter of Olympic Stadium, in the internal perimeter of the athletic installation and in the gates of entry inside the installation. Beyond all these, it has been planned how we will manage the crowd before the start of and after the expiration of the game.
What we will check in a strict way is the use of alcohol and for this reason we ask from the Service of Civil Aviation, but at the same time from all the representatives of teams that will participate in Basketballs and Footballs final, to be facilitated to this direction, so that the prevention of using alcohol has positive results concerning all the carrying out of the two meetings. These are all in general and concerning the arrival but also the departure of fans, our goal is not to be encountered.
The Chief of Greek Police Lieutenant-general Anastasios Dimoschakis answered to journalists questions as following:
Journalist: What is going to happen for the fans without a ticket?
Chief: For the fans without a ticket we insist in the national police collaboration. When we will have the results from the meeting I mentioned, we will make announcements. We do not recommend to those who will not manage to acquire the magic paper to travel to the direction of our country (we mean that they could not acquire it in Greece because all Finals tickets have been sold out).
Journalist: Is there any chance to see officers from other countries in Greece to accompany the fans who probably want to cause troubles or some kind of blatancy in the fighting field?
Chief: We said that police collaboration will be exist and from now and on, as the Minister said, these plans are changing and diversifying. It will depend on which country is coming from each team and, of course, there is the National Office of Information of Football, which is in a continual collaboration with the corresponding Offices of all Countries of EU, even more from where teams are coming from.
Journalist: And how many police officers will approximately be used for the safety measures?
Chief: A big force, the entire force of the General Police Department of Attica, but at the same time the General Police Department of Attica will be amplified with significant forces which will be coming from Regional Police Departments of the Country.
For more informationTel.:+30 210 6977505Fax:+30 210 6929764e-mail:elasgrty@mopo.gr
