Germans to step up World Cup security
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-26 09:08

German authorities plan to step up security for next year's World Cup, Interior Minister Otto Schily said Wednesday.

The 2006 World Cup football finals in Germany will be surrounded by draconian security measures but organisers are determined not to spoil the occasion for the fans, German Interior Minister Otto Schily said. [Germany 2006]

A special anti-terrorism center in Berlin will be equipped with up-to-date technology to monitor developments, along with a national information and cooperation center, he said.

Authorities plan to step up the use of observation cameras in downtown areas and stadiums as well.

"Considering possible terrorist threats and violence related to soccer, strict security measures are necessary," Schily said.

"We can say with a clear conscience that we've done everything possible for security," said Wolfgang Niersbach, a vice president of the World Cup organizing committee.

Another state official, Baden-Wuerttemberg interior minister Heribert Rech, said the measures won't be obvious to about 3.2 million fans expected to attend the World Cup.

"We don't want to present ourselves as a police state," Rech said.

German police will not be allowed to take vacation during the June 9-July 9, 2006, event, Schily said after a meeting of top regional security officials from around Germany.

The conference was called to agree on security steps and their financing during the World Cup.

Apart from terrorism, the plans call for battling hooligans, organized crime and ordinary crime.

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