Senegalese law enforcement delegation study visit to the Motorcycle Grand Prix in Jerez de la Frontera (Spain)

From 24 to 26 April, 2026, a delegation from various Senegalese police and security forces—including the CICO-L.A.T. (CT fusion centre), Gendarmerie, and Police— as part of a study visit for the European 'Public Spaces +' project, implemented by the Spanish Guardia Civil and FIAP— had the opportunity to observe firsthand the security deployment and coordination at the 2026 Motorcycle Grand Prix in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

Large scale events security

The Grand Prix is one of the world’s largest sporting events to be held in a public space. The city of Jerez is host to more than 200,000 people, with over 140,000 of these in the circuit and its surrounding areas, all within a short period of time. 

To address the associated security challenges, the Guardia Civil deploys 2,500 personnel with 22 operational capabilities. These include drones and counter-drone systems, helicopters, mounted units specialising in public order and crowd control, all-terrain motorcycles, bomb squad, explosive detection dogs, traffic police and antiterrorist units to fight terrorist menaces. 

Visit the full gallery

Understanding coordination and communication 

The Senegalese partners received a briefing from the central and regional authorities on the overall security deployment. The delegation then visited the command-and-control centre, where they observed the coordination, communication and operational procedures of the different agencies first-hand. This centre included emergency responders, the traffic authority, private security, the aviation authority, and other law enforcement units. 

Building CT capacity and observing CT units in action.

The visit built on the Public Spaces+ project trainings on methods to prevent, detect and respond to terrorism and develop capacities in areas such as tactical snipers, K-9 intervention dogs, drones, counter-drones and tactical medical response. It offered the opportunity to observe the Guardia Civil Anti-Terrorist Unit (UAR) in real time during the event. Interacting with, conversing with, and observing the anti-terrorist units in action provided invaluable insight into how these capabilities are applied and interwoven in large-scale scenarios, in terms of both prevention and response.

Project background

Public Spaces + is implemented under the EU Global Threats programme, funded by the European Union.

The EU-funded project works with three partners in Africa: Kenya, Ghana and Senegal, all of which are neighbours to the main epicentres of terrorism. 

The project aims at strengthening the capacity of partner countries by developing sustainable training systems that are integrated into their curricula, all while adhering to the highest methodological standards and fully respecting human rights, gender equality, and the rule of law, in line with the EU's political priorities for security and counterterrorism.

For more information, download the project factsheet.