Southern France strengthens security for the 2030 Olympics and trains more professionals

Army General (ret.) David Galtier opened the international event at the administrative centre of southern France in Marseille with a firmness that could be felt by everyone in the meeting room. For the European visitors in Marseille work shop, it became clear that security is a significant and shared matter for the entire Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur regional authority.

Text, photos and video by Olli Ikäheimo / Business Tampere

Southern France, already preparing for the 2030 Olympic Games, is strengthening its security and training more professionals for the sector. Globalisation, the freer movement of people in a coastal border region between two continents, cybercrime that is constantly taking new forms, as well as human trafficking and drug trafficking, have stripped any vague rhetoric from the authorities’ statements. Yet throughout it all, there is a clear and positive belief in training people and building a safer tomorrow.

**David Galtier** from France, **Valentyn Bogaychuk** from Odesa, Ukraine, and **Petri Nykänen** from Business Tampere shared their experiences of the security sector in Marseille.

During their study visit to Marseille, representatives from the five countries involved in the SafeSkills project explored how the Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur Region is developing security as part of regional vitality, linked to education and training in the sector.

From the Tampere city region, the visit was attended by representatives of the project coordinators, Business Tampere and the Baltic Institute of Finland, as well as two representatives of Tampere region stakeholders: Mari Taverne, Director of International Talent Services at the City of Tampere, and Niina Nyyssölä, Key Account Manager at Tampere University.

According to Mari Taverne, the study visit offered new perspectives on ensuring the availability of skilled labour in the security sector.

“The SafeSkills project study visit provided new perspectives on ensuring the availability of skilled labour in the security sector. Strategically important security expertise is systematically connected to education pathways, staff competence development and the planning of skills needs based on employers’ requirements. At the same time, preventive youth work related to the challenges brought by immigration is carried out in educational environments and institutions. A multidisciplinary operating model strengthens security, prevents social exclusion and supports the vitality and attractiveness of the region.”

Niina Nyyssölä from Tampere University highlighted the project’s dialogical and practical way of working.

“As a stakeholder representative, I was pleased by the spirit of the SafeSkills project: the security theme is examined boldly from several different perspectives, through discussion and by sharing practices and ideas.”

“The roundtable presentations and the visit to Saint-Charles station gave me a great deal of new material to process. Several times over the two days, I found myself thinking that this could also be a way to do things in Finland and/or Tampere.”

Saint-Charles railway station reveals the scale of security needs

One of the most concrete sites visited during the study trip was Saint-Charles railway station in Marseille. In front of the station stands a memorial to the victims of the terrorist attack that took place there. Memories of the terrorist attack in the neighbouring city of Nice are also not far away. Ten years ago, 85 people were killed and more than 200 injured on the seaside promenade in the neighbouring city.

Some 16–18 million passengers pass through the station every year, and nine train operators operate there. Security is maintained by several cooperating organisations with the support of the regional authority. Among the tools used by the station’s control centre are 222 fixed security cameras. Each year, the authorities record around 13,000 security-related incidents of varying degrees at the station, although many of these are, of course, harmless cases such as bags being forgotten on trains or similar situations.

The figures nevertheless show why the security of major transport hubs is a key area of continuous development in France.

A positive Tampere connection emerged at the station when a local authority presented the equipment used by the railway company SNCF’s own security unit patrol. The body-worn camera is a product of the US company Axon, whose imaging technology has been designed at the company’s Tampere unit.

Security is part of the region’s strategy

In his opening speech, David Galtier, Councillor of the Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur Region, Army General (ret.) and Inspector of the French National Gendarmerie, emphasised the region’s objective of being safe for everyone. According to him, security is a central part of the region’s overall development.

**Nicolas Guys** and **David Galtier** from the Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur Region were responsible for the SafeSkills study programme in Marseille.

According to Galtier, security authorities have the strong support of the region. He also highlighted the strategic importance of the Mediterranean and the growing role of cybersecurity in Europe. The National Gendarmerie in France is a military-organised police force that is partly responsible for public order and security.

Strengthening young people’s safety in schools

During the study visit, representatives of the participating countries were also introduced to the programme of Association Montjoye, which operates in upper secondary education in Nice. Compared with the Finnish education system, the target group corresponds to lower secondary school pupils and upper secondary students.

Mortal Yahi, representing Montjoye, presented an operating model in which issues related to young people’s everyday safety, conflicts and the prevention of school dropout are addressed at an early stage. The background includes conflicts, violence, drugs and other challenges visible in schools.

The programme works in the everyday life of educational institutions with a low threshold and a multidisciplinary approach. Yahi explained how the work has developed over ten years. At first, those carrying out the work waited outside school gates and faced an impossible task. Today, the work is carried out inside schools together with local social workers.

In southern France, the training of security sector professionals is based on cooperation between several actors and authorities.

The key idea is that young people should remain in school. If students fall outside education, problems grow. The programme emphasises early intervention, presence in educational institutions and support for young people and their families.

The importance of the Montjoye model is underlined in a region where, according to Yahi, around 200,000 lower secondary and upper secondary students are studying.

Cybersecurity is linked to skills and business needs

The cybersecurity situation in the region was presented at the Marseille meeting from the perspectives of authorities and education. Lieutenant-Colonel Fabien Suchaud of the French National Gendarmerie described the rapidly changing field of cybercrime. For example, the criminal use of artificial intelligence as a translation tool lowers the threshold for criminals to target European language areas. Cybercrime attracts people into criminal activity who might previously have drifted into forms of crime carrying greater risks for the perpetrators. Suchaud spoke about a labour-camp-like centre in Cambodia, where 100,000 forced people are working to generate cyber threats targeting the world.

The business and education perspective was presented by Thomas Houdaille from La Plateforme. La Plateforme has developed an education model in which artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are addressed through the needs of companies.

Houdaille emphasised that small companies do not always have sufficient expertise in cybersecurity issues, even though the need to understand them is clear. The education is built in cooperation with companies in the region.

La Plateforme has around 1,000 students and a Cyberpark campus in Marseille. Free workshops are organised there with the aim of increasing cybersecurity competence.

A low threshold and continuous learning

Simplon, a local stakeholder, also presented its work. The organisation, introduced by Emily Layet, makes digital skills accessible especially to people who are distant from the labour market.

Simplon trains people to return to working life or strengthens their position in a changing labour market. For companies, the model offers an opportunity to access trained labour.

Alongside basic digital skills, key training areas include cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

CNFPT, the Centre National de la Fonction Publique Territoriale, is responsible for training local and regional government staff. Security and cybersecurity are also key themes in its training.

A central observation from the study visit was that security is closely linked to education and skills. Regional coordination and dialogue between authorities, educational institutions and business life are essential in developing security expertise.

Sûreté Ferroviaire is the security unit of SNCF, the French state-owned railway company. It is responsible for protecting passengers, staff and property on the French rail network, at stations and on trains.

The SafeSkills project continues as an EU-funded network in which regions share their experiences and approaches to strengthening skills in the security sector. The next intensive training visit among the project regions will take place in Rzeszów, Poland, near the Belarusian border.