DGSN Chief Hamel: 'We plan removal of police forces from football stadiums shortly'

The National Police Director General (DGSN), Major General Abdelghani Hamel, has said that he plans to withdraw all police elements from inside stadiums during football matches on account of the huge human and material costs deriving from such an intricate endeavour.

• Taking the floor Wednesday at a press conference in the city of Constantine, in eastern Algeria, Major General Hamel affirmed that the projected decision to remove altogether police elements from inside the football stadiums was in keeping with what it is being done by other security forces in other parts of the world.
• 
  
• The National Police Chief stressed that henceforth police elements would be deployed outside the football stadiums to keep law and order but could be called upon to intervene inside the stadiums only to deal with emergencies brought about by hooliganism acts involving rival supporters.
• 
  
• Major General Abdelghani Hamel further noted that many policemen were seriously injured during the first stage of the football championship competitions this season during violent incidents provoked by frenzied and angry supporters in several stadiums of the country in addition to extensive material damage.
• 
  
• He emphasized however that he had instructed all the police agents to deal with the crowd of the surging football fans with the utmost restraint and to avoid using violence to counter violence, as he put it.