Starting this weekend police will have a new operation Security in the stages of football by including the character of the “Sports Safety Assessor,” an official who will be in the stands to prevent unrest and violence between fans.
“He is an official who will be on the witness stand and he will be a liaison to the head of the security operation,” said Richard Cabral, chief of the National Police General Staff.
Cabral’s announcement came after a meeting on Thursday afternoon at the Interior Ministry with representatives from the Uruguayan Football Federation (AUF) and the National Sports Secretariat.
This officer “will assess situations in advance, perceive them and communicate with the incident commander,” emphasized Cabral.
The police chief declined to provide further details about how this investigator will proceed in the stadium stands. He did not specify whether he would be identified and armed or whether it would be an “infiltrated” or undercover person.
“Surely it will be a police officer,” he stressed at a press conference after meeting local football authorities.
Cabral assured that the police have not left the stadiums and explained how they are working now.
“This concept that the police have withdrawn from football is not like that. “We are present, we have different formats of work in football, yes,” said the Chief of General Staff, pointing out that there are police officers on the field, for example to protect the referees.
Cabral said that this police presence on the field could be used by the AUF in combination with private security, and assured that the troops would enter the stands in the event of unrest: “If the police need to enter the stands, they will enter.”