On Wednesday, 12 March 2008, officers from the institutions in charge of providing protection and security for the NATO Summit in Bucharest carried out joint exercises in order to develop and harmonize their cooperation and partnership relations for the NATO event in April.

The Service of Protection and Guard (S.P.P.), the Romanian Intelligence Service (S.R.I.), the Ministry of Defence (M.Ap.) and the Ministry of the Interior and Administrative Reform (M.I.R.A.) organized exercises meant to increase the cooperation and reaction capacity in accordance with the training program established by the National Security Committee for the NATO Summit.

The exercises were carried out at Băneasa Shooting Range, in the area of Mioriţa Fountain and at Crowne Plaza hotel compound, depending on the characteristics of each arm, as follows: 

• Snipers proved their skills

Sniper teams from the Protection and Guard Service, the Romanian Intelligence Service and the Romanian Gendarmerie carried out target shooting sessions in Băneasa Shooting Range. These snipers have more than ten years’ experience in protection missions and participated in the visits of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to Romania and in the Francophony Summit. These fighters train shooting in highly difficult situations and conditions. They provide ground support and cover the security disposition elements of the travel route.   

• EOD teams simulated defusing a suspect parcel

The S.P.P. and S.R.I. EOD specialists worked together in order to detect a suspect parcel, secure the surrounding area and finally defuse it. According to the scenario, the suspect parcel was located in a building that accommodated a high official participating in the NATO Summit. The S.P.P. dogs, specialized in detecting trap parcels that contain explosives, were also used in the exercise.

• Checking an area of Bucharest in order to determine whether and to what extent it is contaminated with NBC substances

The three NBC defence units of the Ministry of Defence and the organized crime countering unit of the Police and the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations checked the area of Mioriţa Fountain with special equipment. The joint training involved monitoring the area, taking samples and sending them to authorized laboratories. The officers from the three operational units simulated activities to secure the area, decontaminate it etc., depending on the results of the tests on samples taken from the area if these indicate contamination with NBC substances.   

• Checking and controlling an area on the motorcade travel route

Specialists from the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police, with dogs specialized in detecting explosives, checked and controlled an area on the motorcade travel route. They checked the sewer openings, sealing their lids with special plastic tape.

The joint training program of the forces that provide protection and security for the Summit will continue over the following days.

Media Group for Security News
NATO Summit - 2008