Euro 2012 safety and security report - SOS International

4 Euro 2012 safety and security report
Terms of reference
This report is a safety and security report for the
UEFA European Football Championship to be hosted
by Poland and Ukraine between 8 June and 1 July
2012, current as of 15 May 2012. The report was
compiled for SOS International by analysts and security
specialists at red24. The information has been
sourced through a variety of channels, both open and
privileged, and addresses the threats to visitors from
crime, civil unrest, hooliganism and terrorism. It also
offers security advice, as well as providing information
on travel options, health concerns and facilities, money
and diplomatic representation.
Overview
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship,
commonly referred to as Euro 2012, will be hosted by
Poland and Ukraine between 8 June and 1 July 2012.
It is the world’s second-largest football tournament
after the World Cup and will attract over 500,000 fans
and a global television audience. Sixteen national
teams will compete in some 31 matches, which will be
held in Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan, Wroclaw, Kiev, Lviv,
Kharkiv and Donetsk.
The security risks in Poland and Ukraine are not
assessed to be significant and it is likely that the vast
majority of fans will have an enjoyable and incidentfree
visit. Nonetheless, a number of security threats
do exist.
The primary threat emanates from petty criminality.
Although increased numbers of police and heightened
surveillance will mitigate the risk to a degree, the high
number of foreign visitors and high density of spectators
will provide opportunities for a range of criminal
elements. Pickpocketing and bag-snatching are the
main concerns but clients are also advised to exercise
vigilance in terms of ticketing, tourism, accommodation
and identity fraud. Incidents of mugging, robbery and
assault are also possible issues and alcohol-fuelled
and drug-related anti-social behaviour is a particular
concern after dark.
A further concern is the risk of demonstrations, protests
and civil disorder. The tournament will provide an
international stage for a range of activists to publicise
their various causes, and some individuals or organised
groups are likely to attempt to gain publicity in
unlawful ways. In particular, unauthorised protest gatherings
could result in incidents of unrest and transport
disruptions prior to and during the tournament.
In addition, there is credible threat of violence between
rival football fans at the Euro 2012 tournament. Both
the Ukrainian and Polish authorities have stated that
there will be a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to incidents
of football-related unrest and their respective security
forces can be expected to be firm in dealing with
disturbances. Nonetheless, both host countries have
an established problem with football hooliganism.
Significant unrest occurs sporadically at domestic
matches and Polish supporters initiated a riot in a
friendly match against Lithuania in March 2011. Fatalities
have occurred in fighting between rival supporters
in both countries in the past and there is a history of
neo-Nazi involvement in football-related violence. As
such, there is a credible and significant concern that
such elements will seek to initiate violent confrontations
during the event. These may involve supporters
from rival countries and the nature of football-related
unrest means that such disturbances carry significant
incidental risks.
Euro 2012 also faces a theoretical terrorist threat.
Although no specific intelligence has emerged thus far
to suggest a terrorist attack is being planned to target
or coincide with the tournament, the threat from terrorism
has cast a shadow over international sporting
events since Palestinian radicals attacked the Munich
Olympics in 1972. Although the nature and scale of
terrorism has since evolved, the threat remains. Euro
2012 will attract large numbers of spectators, foreign
dignitaries and a global television audience. As
such, any terrorist incident before or during the event,
regardless of size or duration, will likely have a large
impact. Both Poland and Ukraine have played a role in
military interventions in Iraq or Afghanistan and Poland
has been explicitly threatened by Islamist militants in
the recent past. Although the probability of an attack
on Euro 2012 is assessed to be low, the event will be
potentially attractive to some Islamist groups and individuals,
providing them with an opportunity to cause
mass casualties and/or significant disruption in order
to publicise and further their causes.