30,000 guarding safety of Pope during Polish visit

Some 30,000 police, fire and health personnel have been deployed in the city to ensure the safety of pilgrims and Pope John Paul…

Some 30,000 police, fire and health personnel have been deployed in the city to ensure the safety of pilgrims and Pope John Paul II, who begins a four-day visit to the city today, an official said.

"Our experience from the seven previous trips of the Pope to Poland show that from the moment of the pontiff's arrival in a city, crime falls to zero," a police spokesman.

Nevertheless some criminals have tried to make money off the visit, which is expected to draw up to four million pilgrims.

In the northern city of Gdansk police detained a man who sold 4,500 fake tickets for a special train carrying pilgrims to Krakow, where the pope will stay for most of his trip.

READ MORE

AFP