23,000 police mobilized to protect Tour de France as security ramps up for Euro 2016

[Vergennes]

This year's Tour de France will be guarded by an unprecedented police presence.

Cyclists at the Tour de France will be under the watch of an unprecedented force of 23,000 police, including SWAT-like intervention squads, as the government tries to ensure security amid extremist threats.

Security is also being ramped up ahead of Euro 2016 as global attention switches to France's hosting of the tournament between June and July.

The country has been in a state of emergency since the attacks on Paris in November that killed 130 people, with soldiers guarding landmarks and religious sites.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-...-de-france-as-security-ramps-up-for-euro-2016