Published: 29 December, 2007, 06:18
Edited: 29 December, 2007, 06:18
Russia’s resort city of Sochi will be swamped by tens of thousands of tourists, athletes and officials when it holds the 2014 Winter Olympics. Security is a major concern – and that means developing some unusual methods.
Krasnaya Polyana ski resort is set to become one of the main centres of the Olympics.
With several thousand people a day hitting the slopes – most of them snowboards and skiers, the nearby field needs to be patrolled.
So instructors are teaching local police how to ski.
You could say they are working undercover, quite literally, because they don't have specially designed police suits.
The new police ski unit is an experiment for the New Year period.
By 2014, the police skiers will need to be proficient on the slopes. By then they'll also have their own ski suits.
At the moment, the team consists of just four people. Police officer Artyom Bogatov says they'll have their work cut out once the Games start.
“The capacity of this ski lift is at least 2,000 people a day. There are a lot of spots where you can buy drinks. So people can get drunk, get aggressive, even commit crimes,” Bogatov said.
When the unit becomes fully operational, the officers will be able to ensure public order as well as helping tourists who find themselves in a spot of bother on the slopes.
And while the skiers have their fun, the new snow police will join the emergency services and rescuers to ensure everything runs smoothly.