Expo.02 security arrangements unveiled

Security for the Expo.02 will be allocated between national units and private firms Keystone Archive

Organiser of Switzerland's national exhibition, Expo.02, have announced that members of the Swiss police and army will be involved in securing its exhibtion sites, along with some 600 employees of private surveillance companies. They will receive further back-up from at least 300 soldiers at all four of the exhibition's sites.

Specialist security personnel will deal with emergencies relating to fire, safety at work, lakeside rescues, and general security, according to the exhibition’s security chief, Raoul Rimet.

They will also be sharing the management of the security centre with 150 police officers drafted in from Neuchatel, Vaud, Bern and Fribourg.

However, the names of the private security companies have yet to be revealed. Rimet says the exhibition’s organisers are still in the process of considering tenders for security contracts for the duration of Expo.02.

He added that the security budget for the exhibition stands at SFr 28 million. However, another SFr 10 million will go into installing security equipment, such as fire detectors.

Outside of the exhibition areas, security will come under the jurisdiction of individual cantons. An inter-cantonal committee will also be set up in Neuchatel, to manage reinforcements of security personnel and the transmission of information.

swissinfo with agencies