For Irish sports fans travelling to France for this summer’s Olympic Games, there will be something decidedly un-Parisian awaiting them – dozens of gardaí patrolling the capital.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has received Cabinet approval to deploy 56 members of the force to the French capital during the busy tourist season.
They will be on hand to assist with Irish visitors for short periods during the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
Such small deployments are now considered common practice, and the more familiar uniformed gardaí will be available specifically to help Irish tourists, aided and accompanied by their French counterparts.
It is understood that past experience with such operations has been considered very positive.
Suggestions of the deployments first emerged last May, but it had not at that stage been officially approved.
It followed media reports that An Garda Síochána was to dispatch its officers for tours of Disneyland Paris and the Rugby World Cup.
The previous summer, a small number of gardaí were sent to work alongside French police to assist Irish tourists in certain popular summer destinations.
