Go Rollers youth...

■ The Belgium rollers summer tour 2003 will stop in Namur NAMUR ∇ Roller skating enthusiasts are going to have a blast during the summer holidays. A free, friendly, enjoyable event secured by specially trained Namur police officers. The summer event was presented this Tuesday at Tabora. The officers involved even gave a surprising demonstration. The principle: During the summer months, every Tuesday starting at 9 a.m., a roller ride will fill the streets of Namur. The main objective of this action is of course to promote roller skating, but in a reassuring way for everyone. That is why a roller cop training program was created in Namur. Around ten local police officers specially trained for this purpose will escort these rides (and not races) in urban and semi-urban environments. After four lessons, these supercops (some were still hesitant, but understandably so) are already able to perform a few tricks. The Namur police officers are the best of all, explain the instructors. Through the creation of these Roller cops, Belgium roller and the city of Namur wish to give the police a friendlier image. "In Brussels, participants' perception of the police was different after the rides. In Liège, they didn't have time to prepare their police officers. It's not mandatory, but it's safer," explains Carl de Moncharline, coordinator of Belgium rollers. The principle The Namur rides will therefore take place every Tuesday of the holidays. In case of rain, the rides will be canceled. Gathering will be around 8 p.m. in a location yet to be determined (the center of Namur is indeed disrupted by roadworks). Participants will depart around 9 p.m. At 10 p.m., a break with free refreshments is organized. Arrival is scheduled for around 11 p.m. at the departure point. Dispersal at midnight. Protective gear is mandatory for children under 10 years old. It is strongly recommended for adults. A few figures: The organizers' ambition for the first Brussels outing last year was to gather between 300 and 500 people per outing. Right from the first outing, there were nearly 2,500. The average quickly rose to 6,000. The last two outings attracted up to 8,000 people. Last year, more than 30,000 people rediscovered their cities in a different way. This project is actively supported by the city of Namur and the sports department. Let's roll!