All of Europe will be watching Germany this summer when the UEFA EURO 2024™ takes place at ten venues. Not only will hundreds of thousands of fans be traveling there, but also numerous international police officers.
Representatives of the National Football Information Points (NFIP) network, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Europol and UEFA security officers were once again able to see the progress of the extensive preparations on site in Neuss. Several highlights were on the agenda for the international and high-ranking specialists from the field of major soccer events, who come from many different countries.
The heart of the IPCC 2024
The tour began with a visit to the training center of the State Office for Training, Further Education and Human Resources (LAFP) of the NRW police in Neuss, which will be transformed into the International Police Cooperation Center (IPCC) 2024 in the summer - and will be the hub for the international colleagues.
The delegation was also able to see the heart of the IPCC 2024: The converted auditorium, which is already unrecognizable and will be the workplace of many national and international forces. The rest of the education center, where hundreds of colleagues will be housed during UEFA EURO 2024™, also generated positive reactions and anticipation for the event. The same applies to the current status of the IPCC 2024, which was presented by the respective sub-project managers.
Stadium tour offers guests important insights
After Dortmund and Cologne last year, the guests also visited the third of four NRW EURO stadiums in Düsseldorf. In addition to touring the stadium, they showed great interest in the various aspects of police work and the cooperation with Host City Düsseldorf. Questions on security strategies, fan support and control as well as other relevant topics were discussed in detail by colleagues from the Düsseldorf Police Department.
This experience enabled the representatives of the NFIP network to experience the dynamics and challenges of major events such as UEFA EURO 2024™ and the associated police work of the German police, in order to draw valuable conclusions and provide tips from their own experience.
IPCC 2024 project manager: "Another important step"
The meeting concluded with a visit to the central police station of the Düsseldorf police department, which once again provided the guests with a wealth of valuable information, particularly for the post-match and pre-match phases. "This meeting helped everyone involved to take a further step and to further harmonize expectations and planning," says IPCC 2024 project manager Oliver Strudthoff.
Several hundred security forces from all over Europe will be guests at the IPCC 2024 for the duration of UEFA EURO™ in June and July and will work together. For weeks on end, everything will revolve around the European Men's Football Championship and the safety of the people in the country in 24/7 shifts.
