The presence of police and private security agencies, as well as the installation of gates and identification systems at recreational facilities, has become the new normal.
A particularly telling example of the new security-management strategy is the Swiss town of Porrentruy in the canton of Jura. In response to repeated disturbances of the peace, local authorities decided to introduce mechanisms for screening visitors.
People holding a French passport must reckon with the need to pay double the entry fee. These measures meet with broad support from the local community, which sees them as a necessary step towards restoring order.
The evolution of the rules governing how Europe's public bathing spots operate is a stark example of the growing securitisation of everyday life. The introduction of double price lists and administrative barriers for foreigners – as happened in the Swiss town of Porrentruy – is a manifestation of the pragmatism of local authorities, who place the peace and security of their own citizens above the idea of egalitarian access to public space.
