The police authorities have been preparing for a year for the coming high-level meetings that Sweden will organize. The aim is to prevent similar incidents to what happened June 2001, in Gothenburg, in southwest Sweden, when thousands of demonstrators went rampant and caused severe chaos in the city.
“We will have the whole world’s eyes upon us,” said Carin Götblad, county police commissioner on Swedish television.
The safety arrangements will cost about 120 million Swedish Kronor (US$15 million), according to the Swedish National Police Board.
“We have learned a lot from Gothenburg [in 2001]. Today the Swedish police have an entirely different training, based on special tactics and new concepts. We have also different equipment and better protected vehicles, so we can counter violence in an entirely different way,” said Carin Götblad.
Although the threat remains low, the Swedish police were not allowed to take vacation. During the meeting on Wednesday, around three hundred police will be deployed to ensure safety for it and the rest of the meetings in Stockholm.
It is estimated that around 30 demonstrations will take place during this week in Stockholm. Many organizations want to take the opportunity to publicize their views when Sweden is in the spotlight.
“One should be conscious about the fact that large crowds of people and demonstrations are the toughest things, and among the most difficult to foresee,” said Carin Götblad.
The Swedish police will be responsible for safety arrangements for approximately 115 official EU meetings that will be organized in Sweden during 2009.
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