Olympic Games 2024 – The recruitment challenge of hosting the Olympic Games
Legal watch
15 February 2023
Security agents – According to the prefecture, the body scanners mentioned above are a way of making checks, usually carried out by means of security palpations, more efficient and reliable. The private security sector is experiencing major recruitment difficulties.
On 11 January 2023, the Court of Auditors made several recommendations on budgetary matters, including on the security aspect. It stressed the need to finalise the overall security plan for the Games and to plan the use of the internal security forces (Semaine Juridique Administrations et Collectivités territoriales n°2, January 16th 2023, act. 42 – Court of Auditors, press release, January 11th 2023).
It must be noted that the executive has not, at this stage, resolved all the questions concerning the recruitment of additional police and magistrates for the organisation of the Olympic Games.
Police – With the Olympic Games approaching, police activity in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis is already intense, particularly due to the “zero delinquency” plan. During the games, an increase in procedures is to be expected, and therefore an adjustment of the resources allocated, particularly in terms of daily delinquency of opportunity due to the context of the event.
Last October, the Minister of the Interior announced that “30,000 police and gendarmes” would be mobilised “per day” to ensure security throughout the sporting event.
Magistrates – On the judicial front, we must wait for the measures that will be taken to deal with the need to process complaints and provide a criminal response. The president of the Bobigny court stated in January that: ” Clearly, we are not in a position today to deal with the possible influx of additional legal proceedings “. Alongside an increase in the number of staff at the public prosecutor’s office, he would like to “create a jurisdictional council dedicated to the judicial implementation of the Olympic Games” which would serve as an “observatory of the evolution of jurisdictional activity linked to this event” (Bobigny : le tribunal “pas en état” de gérer le surcroît d’activité entraîné par les JO-2024 – BFM TV, January 17th 2023).
The Chancellery has announced an increase in the number of magistrates to absorb the activity linked to the Olympic Games, without revealing the exact details so far.
