2024-07-26 06:00:00
Securing the Olympics is first and foremost a major challenge. More than 900 events will take place in 63 communities. Nothing to do with the Rugby World Cup last year, where law enforcement officers secured one match at a time. “For the Olympic Games, we need to protect several sites at the same time, over long periods of time, for several weeks,” explains General Arnaud Bourguignon, in charge of aerial protection for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. To increase their action, the security forces are banking on technologies. However, due to a lack of training, some will not be used to their full potential, such as video surveillance boosted by artificial intelligence. “These cameras will still be very experimental and not totally effective at the time of the Olympics. We will have to compensate with more police forces,” warned Agnès Canayer, senator and rapporteur of a mission on securing the Olympic Games.
Anti-drone jamming devices
Beware of drones during the Olympics! In one of the large green spaces of the Vélizy-Villacoublay air base 107 (Yvelines), the Air and Space Force (AAE) simulated a full-scale attack in March. Two mini-drones appeared out of nowhere, flew about twenty meters high and rushed towards their target. Less than fifty meters away, police officers and gendarmes targeted them with rifles and pistols of a particular type. No sound, no projectiles, but the effect was there. One of the drones was immobilized on the spot, hovering, the second moved away from the area. These were jamming weapons. “As soon as the trigger is pulled, an electromagnetic field is emitted in a cone of about 30 degrees. This cuts the connection between the drone and the remote pilot’s radio control, then the drone stops,” explains one of the police officers. The pistol can hit a device up to 600 m away, the rifle up to 1,200 m and on a wider frequency range.
The EEA is testing a range of anti-drone weapons. All scenarios are being considered. “This can range from the smart guy who wants to film events, with the risk of the drone falling on the athletes or spectators, to the drone which carries an explosive charge, explains General Arnaud Bourguignon. The device is designed and sized to neutralize attacks on several sites at the same time, or even by several drones on the same site.
Catches with nets
In addition to light means (rifles and jamming guns), the military also relies on heavy systems. These combine radars to detect the presence of drones from several kilometers away, cameras to operate visual identification, goniometers that intercept the frequencies of drones to locate them precisely, and the jammer capable of neutralizing the threat over 360 degrees. The army has four types of heavy systems: Parade (developed by Thales), Bassalt (Hologarde), Milad (CS Group) and Radiant (implemented by the Paris police prefecture). “Around fifteen of them will be deployed in Paris,” specifies Arnaud Bourguignon.
The army can count on other devices, including the laser weapon. Supplied by the SME Cilas, the Helma-P system is capable of neutralizing a target located 1 km away. And on more rustic means: nets to capture malicious drones without risk of falling. They can be used by being encapsulated in a special cartridge fired by a rifle towards the malicious drone. Once caught, a parachute deploys to cushion the fall. Another solution: the net is carried by an interceptor drone that will chase the malicious drone and bring it back to a safe place.
AI-boosted cameras
Thanks to the law of May 19, 2023 (known as the “JO law”), algorithmic video protection will make its debut in France. This involves implementing AI software capable of automatically analyzing images from video protection cameras and drones in order to detect abnormal behavior. “This is an extremely important assistance. An indispensable tool and one that is eagerly awaited by the police,” justifies Laurent Nuñez, the Paris police prefect. In April, two operational tests took place, inside RATP and SNCF stations, on the occasion of the Black Eyed Peas concert at La Défense Arena and the PSG-OL match at the Parc des Princes. Each time, the feeds from around a hundred cameras were analyzed.
The solutions deployed are supposed to detect eight types of events: failure to respect the direction of traffic, crossing or the presence of individuals in a prohibited zone, crowd movements, excessive density of people, abandoned packages, the presence or use of weapons, people on the ground, and fires.
Given the fears of associations defending individual freedoms regarding intelligent video surveillance, its use will be very regulated. On the one hand, facial recognition and any form of cross-referencing with files will be prohibited. On the other hand, only the national police and gendarmerie, municipal police, fire and rescue services, as well as the internal security services of RATP and SNCF will be able to deploy these solutions.
Centres de supervision high-tech
On the one hand, multiple pieces of information to be collected from the field (testimonies, video feeds, photos, etc.). On the other hand, intervention and rescue teams to be deployed (police forces, private security agents, medical staff, etc.). This is the essential role of the command and control centers that must manage the security of the Olympic Games. “The challenge is responsiveness,” explains Laurent Denizot, CEO of Egidium Technologies. This French company will equip law enforcement with supervision tools using multiple technologies: 3D mapping tools, decision-making software, geolocation of resources, digital twins of sites to be protected… Nothing is left to chance to meet this challenge.
You are reading an article from L’Usine Nouvelle 3731 – June 2024
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