Belgium Rollers take over 7 cities during summer months

(BELGA) = Say no more "Brussels Rollers", but rather "Belgium Rollers". During the upcoming summer months, parades of inline skaters and roller skaters will fill the streets of seven Belgian cities. Besides Brussels, where the roller skating tours started for the first time last year, enthusiasts will now also be able to enjoy themselves in Mons, Namur, Liège, Hasselt, Koksijde and Ghent. This was announced by the mayor of Brussels, Freddy Thielemans, on Wednesday at a press conference. In July and August 2002, the initiators of the project, the City of Brussels and Carl De Moncharline, managed to attract more than 30,000 participants on "rollers" (inline skates, but also roller skates) with five parades. The number of "RollerCops", officers on rollers, is being expanded by more than 18, specified the police commissioner of Brussels, Roland Van Reusel. Their task is to guide the participants at the head of the procession. Several police officers in Mons, Namur, Hasselt and Ghent are receiving training on a voluntary basis to be able to skate on rollers during the parade themselves. "In Mons we already have 22 candidates," declared Elio Di Rupo, the mayor of the city. "The mission of the RollerCops in Brussels is limited to guiding the procession and patrolling in places like Ter Kameren Bos," said Van Reusel. He estimates that the city contains far too many cobblestone roads to move around daily on rollers for police duties. The tour of the 'Belgium Rollers' will begin in late June or early July in Hasselt (Monday) and then visit Namur (Tuesday), Ghent (Wednesday, except July 23 and 30), Liège (Thursday), Brussels (Friday), Mons (Saturday) and Koksijde (only Sunday July 20 and August 24). Weather conditions will of course determine whether or not the tour will go ahead. All information on the website: http://www.belgiumrollers.com. Belga © 2003 Belga n.v. © Mediargus S.A.