Pickpockets, crooks around Eiffel Tower pose policing challenge before Paris Olympics 2024

Paris Police have affirmed that they will begin cracking down on the group of pickpockets and fraudsters reported to be active around Eiffel Tower before the Olympic Games in 2024.The latest incident occurred last weekend when a local youth suffered head injuries after being hit with bottles by souvenir vendors from Pakistan. The youth was reportedly attacked while trying to steal miniature Eiffel Tower souvenirs.

The level of crime in the Champ de Mars public gardens, where the Eiffel Tower threatens France’s reputation during the Olympic Games in 2024, has shot up.

“We are going to saturate the site to fight against crime and to disperse the troublemakers,” the Paris police chief added.

The Paris police chief, however, denied accusations that the authorities had allowed the problem to go unchecked.

“You cannot say it is a sector that we have abandoned. It’s completely false. We are really present here. It’s a priority sector,” he told BFM, a television news channel. “We are going to continue and to amplify these actions in the run-up to the Olympics.”

Earlier in May, a major police operation was launched around the tower to crack down on pickpockets, unauthorised street vendors and performers. Even after initial fall in pickpocket crimes, the tower remains vulnerable to related crimes.

Until June this year, the Eiffel Tower welcomed 1.6 million visitors. It is expected to see 5.5 million footfall in 2022, which would be 10 per cent less than in 2019.

The French capital is set to host summer Olympics in 2024.

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