Hamburg police undertook the strong security measures ahead of G20 Summit, which is considered to be one of the largest in the Germany's history. The G20 summit will be held on Friday and Saturday and will bring together the heads of state and government from the world's largest economies such as Australia, Brazil, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Unprecedented operation
About twenty thousand law enforcement officers will be in Hamburg during the event, including police from other federal states of Germany. All operations will be conducted under the supervision of the Hamburg Police.
Thousands of police cars, an airplane, at least 17 police helicopters, possibly drones, 213 dogs and a large number of guard rails will be deployed for the security of the event, according to Sputnik. About four thousand policemen will be in the area of the railway station and the airport. Patrolling will be conducted in the port city and on the Elbe River.
The safety of G20 participants paramount
Special security groups from the Netherlands and Austria will also take part in the security operation in Hamburg, which will be responsible for ensuring that heads of state and government, as well as thousands of members of delegations arriving at the summit, safely travel through the city.
For the sake of safety, the G20 participants also organized a security zone of 38 square kilometers around the exhibition center where the summit will be held and access to the zone is strictly not permitted.
Is there any cause for concern?
A large number of demonstrations are expected in Hamburg this week. It is estimated that on the second day of the summit, about 100 thousand protesters will take part, including the representatives of organizations for the protection of the environment and consumer rights, trade unions, human rights activists, right-wing extremists, and leftists.
On arrival in Hamburg, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Germany Thomas de Maizière highly appreciated the level of preparation of security services of the city for the summit. He stressed that peaceful demonstrations would be allowed during the summit but protests with violence will be stopped.
In addition to the police operation, precautionary measures in anticipation of the summit have also made at other levels and the shops located in the city center have closed their showcases with wooden shields.
