High security through-out CDG

25 years ago we saw teams of police with uzzi type guns patrolling in central Paris; it is more pronounced now, but it is not new.

ditto; this is nothing new; My 1st time in Paris was in 2002 and there was the French army patrolling with automatic rifles at major transportation hub Gare de Lyon. For those of us who live in major historical crime cities like Chicago, New York, LA, etc. this is not interesting or unsettling to see.

I was in Paris in 2001 and 2003, saw the Army patrols at Gare du Nord and Est among other places. Sometimes more , sometimes less. In the late 1990s I saw them augmented by the CRS at the train stations.

In early July this time, one time I was surprised not to see three man patrols but groups , 5-6 , standing around at Gare de l'Est. Seeing that was interestingly new to me. These were all Army to be sure, the Black French troops, clustering around; of course, all had their guns with them. Where I saw a mixture of Security and Police with only side arms was on the first Sunday in July at Petit Palais. This trip I was not at CDG.

You should have seen Frankfurt airport just after 9/11. They were probably on extra alert because it was 9/11.

My first trip to France was in 1978 and there were armed military guards at CDG then.

I see armed police at every airport in the US I travel through. i am so used to it it doesn't even register much any more.

Third Chicago voice checking in.

Unsettling would not be my choice of words. I choose "comforting."

I feel safer when the police are on the scene. They are there to insure our safety and are trained to do so.

Richard

Reminds me of the observations of our then company's president back in the early 1970s about safety in Spain. Those were the last years of the Francisco Franco era. Our company president observed that while marketing in Span he observed local police walking around with loaded (clip in) sub-machine guns in a ready to fire position. He further observed that one could leave packages in plain sight in an unlocked car and no one would think about doing the wrong thing.

Question is, what is the price of safety? Especially if you are down range of the suspect.

Interesting comments from everyone. I guess my perspective as a Canadian living in a smaller northern city is different from those from much larger centers. While we have traveled a lot, this kind of security presence was not something we had previously experienced to this degree. Not a bad thing, for sure, but certainly note-worthy, in my opinion. I thought others might be interested.

"...in ready to fire position." Exactly. I saw that in 1987. That was the difference between armed police patrols in Germany, ie, at FRA in the 1980s and French Army in Paris at the same time at Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est.

In Germany the police, usually a pair, carried their weapons slung over the shoulder with the barrel facing the floor, whereas in Paris one of the three in a three man Army patrol had his automatic weapon pointing straight out, ie ready to fire position while the other two carried theirs slung over the shoulder. This was at Nord at night. That was the first time I had seen the weapon held in ready to fire position. Never saw that except in Paris. The difference in Frankfurt and Paris was this was not an armed French police patrol but military.

I fly out of BNA (Nashville) which is a very small airport compared to CDG. We have visible, armed security personnel, but I never equate seeing them with the same feeling I have when I am in Europe and see police/military with rifles slung across their shoulders.

I am very grateful for the people who work to guarantee the safety of travelers. But I agree that it can be unsettling to see, especially if you haven't done much traveling. The first time I saw heavily armed police in another country, I was wondering what must have just happened to prompt such a visible display of force? Then I realized that this must be the norm for the place I was visiting.

I am still uneasy when I see people carrying huge weapons, but I have learned to tell myself that it is simply the custom of the place where I am.

Unsettling would not be my choice of words. I choose "comforting."

I feel safer when the police are on the scene. They are there to
insure our safety and are trained to do so.

I'm with you. Nothing at all 'unsettling' about armed security. Very comforting indeed.

North Americans are just not used to seeing this.

Not true, Susan......You may not be but many, many of us certainly are in NYC and DC since September 11, 2001.

Susan, I think your posting is well worth making. Many on this forum are frequent travelers and so have seen armed security and now do not find it surprising. I know that last month when a friend of mine was going to Europe I mentioned that she would see armed guards while in London and Paris. I mentioned it off hand and it turned out that she had no idea and was grateful for the information to prepare her young children. Your posting may not be helpful for seasoned travelers but it is for newbies coming here prior to a first trip. My friend is from British Columbia and has lived here in the Bay Area all of her adult life doing a lot of car trips. This was a first trip to Europe.

First Trip to Europe was 1989. Landed in Zurich (ZRH) and saw officers walking on catwalks above us all carrying automatic rifles.

You're right about North Americans not being used to seeing armed officers, guards patrolling airports. What we ARE used to seeing/hearing are the thugs and crazy nuts going into schools and shooting children, going into churches and shooting worshippers, going into the community and shooting randomly as they drive by.

I'll take armed officers patrolling airports any day of the week. They're a welcome sight.

In the 1970s I don't believe I saw armed army patrols only police in Paris sitting in a paddy wagon with their rifles

When I went to commie Czechoslovakia (CSSR) in July of 1973, that was most likely the first time I saw soldiers, not police, with rifles slung over the shoulder. This was at Cheb, right across the border in the former Sudetenland, where the DB train from Nürnberg stopped for at least 30 mins for passport and visa check, the Czech visa I had gotten in Paris. A couple of Czech soldiers with their rifles were milling around the platform. No AC on trains then, it must have been 80F...all I know is that it was a broiler and on this coach a lot, if not all, the windows had been pulled down with people leaning out , as I did.

The fact that I was in a commie country for the first time, a police state, and seeing a couple soldiers with slung rifles on the platform and others with dogs and mirrors sniffing and looking under the coaches didn't have any negative effect on me. It was sort fascinating in a way. A Czech woman (passenger) also in the hallway near me started talking to me in German, maybe to reassure me, a 23 year old solo backpacker. She kept on saying, "Tschechoslowakei nicht streng." (not strict) I thanked her for the info, got into some perfunctory conversation. Those Czech soldiers looked bored to me, lugging a rifle of 9-10 pounds.

I'd rather have military police protecting me than a civilian with a handgun or assault rifle.

I'm also a Canadian living in a smaller city and I'm not concerned in the least about soldiers with assault rifles. I've encountered that sort of thing in many places in Europe, and I hardly give it a second thought. It's just the way it is these days.

The use of higher power weapons is also becoming a more common sight all over Canada at public events (even here in Vernon) with both RCMP and other police forces. I've attended events on numerous occasions where some of the RCMP members have been carrying C8 carbines (resembles an M-16), in addition to their normal sidearm.