The Irish Government approved the assignment of Garda members to short-term overseas liaison duties on May 14, a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána told IrishCentral on Wednesday.
This includes the deployment of 42 Gardaí to assist the French National Police and the Gendarmerie during the Olympics in France in July and August 2024, as well as the deployment of 12 Gardaí to assist the French National Police and the Gendarmerie during the Paralympics in France in August and September 2024.
The approval for deployment comes on the foot of a request from French authorities.
An Garda Síochána has completed an internal competition for the selection of members to travel for this deployment, the spokesperson said.
All Garda members patrol in Garda uniform with French police officers and assist in the investigation of complaints by, or offences involving, Irish nationals for the duration of the Olympics and again for the Paralympics.
The spokesperson added: "Joint patrols have many advantages not least the high-visibility support to their nationals visiting the event or site.
"They can also be seen as learning opportunities for the members of both countries and can expand the knowledge and experience of both teams in issues such as community engagement, cultural sensitivity and methodologies used.
"Exchanges are also very personally beneficial to individual Gardaí."
Inspector Neil Casley, the international liaison with An Garda Síochána, said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland on Wednesday that in addition to the 54 garda members who will assist with policing the Olympics and Paralympics, an additional two Gardaí will assist in policing tourist areas.
Casley highlighted that the deployment "comes on the back of a number of years of deployments carried out under the EU PRUM initiative around operational police cooperation, and also follows on from the recent very successful deployment of Gardaí to assist French authorities in policing the Rugby World Cup.”
Casley added: “Garda officers in Paris will be partaking in joint patrols with the French police and will be available to assist Irish nationals or other English-speaking nationals visiting Paris and or attending Olympic events.
“Specifically, there will be three types of missions that may be assigned to garda officers, and these are assuring public security as part of the general security arrangements for the Olympics, assisting to welcome visitors and facilitate engagement with local host authorities, and ensuring transport security in train stations and metro stations near Olympic venues."
Casley said the members of An Garda Síochána will based "all around central locations in Paris."
Gardai on Dublin's O'Connell Street. (RollingNews.ie)
The Paris Games are expected to attract 15 million spectators, many locals and domestic day trippers, Alexander Göransson, Senior Consultant at Euromonitor International, said in a report last September.
While competitions began today, July 24, the opening ceremonies for the 2024 Paris Olympics are being hosted this Friday, July 26. More than 300,000 people are expected to watch the opening ceremony on the banks of the Seine, with an additional 1.5 billion people set to tune in worldwide.
Around 10,500 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees will compete in the Olympics, while around 4,400 athletes are expected to participate in the Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
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