Press
The security threads for the European Championship converge at the IPCC in Neuss. Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the center. A wound on the face attracted attention.
Neuss – This time there was no eye patch, but there was still an eye-catcher: With a plaster on his chin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the International Police Cooperation Center (IPCC) in Neuss-Gnadental on Friday. Hundreds of police officers from many European countries sit together here and monitor the situation at the European Championships on monitors: This is where all the threads converge when it comes to security during the games.
Olaf Scholz visits the police’s EM security center – plaster on his chin because of shaving wound
The Chancellor actually wanted to come in the afternoon – but because EUSummit in Brussels lasted until late at night, but negotiations lasted less time than expected the following day, and Scholz arrived at around 12 o’clock. On his chin: a clearly visible plaster. After the Chancellor’s black cap sparked nationwide discussions a few months ago and even gave Olaf Scholz a temporary boost in image, special attention is being paid to changes in his face. No, there was no punch in the chin, it was said on site with a wink – everything in Brussels was extremely civilized. The Chancellor simply cut himself while shaving.
Olaf Scholz met NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) on site and spoke to the officials who are responsible for security at the European Championships. “This is a great achievement that is being accomplished here,” said the Chancellor. “You really shouldn’t underestimate the size of this task.”
IPCC in Neuss already set up four years ago
The authorities began setting up the IPCC in the premises of the local police training center four years ago. North Rhine-Westphalia plays a crucial role in terms of security at the European Championships: 20 of the 51 matches during the European Football Championship will take place in four stadiums in the state. The security authorities are primarily focusing on potentially violent hooligans and possible attacks, particularly by radical Islamists. Reul said a few weeks ago at the opening of the IPCC that they were well prepared – but there is never a one hundred percent guarantee of security.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz: “Hope it stays safe until the end of the European Championship”
“I am very grateful that the smooth cooperation and the guarantee of security have worked well so far,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “I hope that this will be the case until the end of the European Championship and that it will remain safe.” The fact that the European Championship was a successful football festival is not only due to the performance of the teams, but also to the people who work in the IPCC, said Scholz. “This is a first-class performance that we all rely on.”
A total of 300 police officers work directly at the Neuss situation center. Another 300 are deployed at each of the European Championship venues. The decision to have the police headquarters for the whole of Germany in Neuss during the European Championship was made at the Conference of Interior Ministers. One reason: four of the ten European Championship stadiums – Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen and Cologne – are located in the most populous federal state. The police training center in Neuss was also a good fit from a logistical perspective. The police academy can easily stop operating during the European Championship. The building complex also has enough sleeping space and recreational rooms for the police officers.
Air Force secures airspace over the European Championship stadiums
All information from the stadiums and the respective surroundings – including weather data – is permanently displayed on a video wall measuring around 40 square meters. The police, the Federal Criminal Police Office, the Federal Intelligence Service and disaster control forces work together in the IPCC.
While the police are responsible, among other things, for defending against potential drone attacks, the German Air Force is securing the airspace above the European Championship stadiums. At selected games, two Eurofighters usually circle over the venues.
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