Security preparations are underway for the 4th Youth Olympic Games in Senegal

Dakar will host the 4th Youth Olympic Games from 31 October to 13 November, and in the run-up to this major event, the country’s security forces are preparing to ensure the event runs smoothly.

Through the European ‘Public Spaces+’ project, three activities have been organised simultaneously: firstly, exercises have been carried out to certify the units and the coordination, command and control bodies that will be deployed during the Games. At the same time, inter-agency training sessions have been held with the institutions involved in the event’s security, covering command and control, risk analysis, and the search for and detection of explosives by canine units; finally, the project has delivered the first batch of equipment, comprising four tactical drones, two anti-drone devices, two portable solar-powered charging stations and specialised tactical police equipment.

The protection of public spaces requires a comprehensive approach that puts all police capabilities to the test in a coordinated manner. The project promotes large-scale joint exercises between the various institutions involved as a key tool for practising and assessing the level of preparedness and readiness for security deployments at major events.

Training of trainers

Through the Espacios Públicos + project, a number of activities have been carried out in Spain to train specialists from the Senegalese security forces so that they, in turn, can train their own teams.

Over the course of a week, the activities that took place in Spain were replicated. Senegalese specialists led the sessions under the supervision of the Civil Guard and experts from the EU Security and Protection Network (HRSN). 32 specialists from the Police, the National Gendarmerie and the Anti-Terrorism Centre took part; they were trained by 18 Senegalese trainers who applied the doctrines and techniques learnt in Spain, the jointly developed technical manuals and the project’s methodological approach.

Large-scale exercises

As part of the preparations for the 4th Youth Olympic Games, more than 2,800 members of the national police, the gendarmerie, the army, the fire service and other organisations have taken part in a major two-day exercise held in Dakar. The exercise, which took place at the Olympic Games venues themselves, included highly realistic scenarios designed to test the capabilities of the main security units in areas such as public order, security, drones, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats, and terrorist attacks. The project provided monitoring and advice throughout the exercise, as well as observing how the training was applied in real units and situations.