BERLIN (AP) — German authorities have had fewer security problems and crimes to deal with than they expected at the European Championship, the country’s top security official said Monday.
The tournament ended on Sunday with Spain beats England 2-1 in the final in Berlin and no reports of serious disturbances. That was the conclusion of a month-long event, which mainly featured isolated and relatively minor incidentsa contrast to the violence during previous tournaments.
According to the German Ministry of the Interior, around 2.6 million people attended the matches in the 10 host cities and another 6 million people watched the matches in the designated fan zones.
During the course of the tournament, it was said, there were a total of about 170 arrests and 320 temporary detentions. Police recorded about 2,340 tournament-related offenses, including about 700 involving bodily harm and 120 thefts. There were about 140 cases of violence against police officers.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the country was “prepared for all conceivable dangers of Islamist terrorism, from hooligan violence to cyber attacks and dangerous drone flights.”
“There were significantly fewer security incidents and violations than our security authorities had anticipated at an event with millions of people,” Faeser said in a statement. “Above all, the very high police presence throughout the country was decisive.”
Germany has temporary border controls at all borders during Euro 2024, something that has become standard practice at such events in Europe’s nominally ID-check-free travel zone, the Schengen Area. They run until Friday.
They will then be dropped at the borders with Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. However, the government is recommending checks at the border with France before and during the upcoming Olympics, and long-standing checks at the eastern and southern borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland, which were prompted by concerns about migration, will remain in place.
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