German authorities had fewer security problems and crimes to deal with than they expected at the European Championship, the country's top security official said Monday. The tournament ended on Sunday with Spain beating England 2-1 in the final in Berlin.
Germany's Interior Ministry said that about 2.6 million people attended matches in the 10 host cities and another six million watched games in the designated fan zones.
Throughout the tournament, it said, there were a total of about 170 arrests and 320 temporary detentions. Police recorded about 2,340 offences linked to the tournament, including some 700 involving bodily harm and 120 thefts. There were about 140 cases involving violence against police officers.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the country had been “prepared for all conceivable dangers from Islamist terrorism, through hooligan violence to cyberattacks and dangerous drone flights.”
“There were significantly fewer security incidents and offences than our security authorities had expected beforehand at an event with millions of people,” Faeser said in a statement. “Above all, the very high police presence across the country was decisive in this.”
Germany introduced temporary border controls at all its frontiers during Euro 2024, something that has become standard practice during such events in Europe's nominally ID check-free travel zone, the Schengen area.
(With AP Inputs)
