Ecuador assigns 8,500 police for pageant

Some 8,500 police will provide security for this year's Miss Universe pageant, the head of Ecuador's police forces said.

Some 8,500 police will provide security for this year's Miss Universe pageant, the head of Ecuador's police forces said Friday.

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Police Gen. Rodrigo Hinojosa said the officers will protect pageant events in Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Riobamba and some remote locations.

Pageant security director, Jose Antonio Rebilla welcomed the police protection, adding that the beauty contestants have increasingly become identified as political representatives of their nations.

About 80 contestants have arrived in this Andean capital city since Tuesday. The contest final is scheduled to take place on June 1.

After a welcoming ceremony in Quito on Friday night, the contestants were scheduled on Sunday to parade through the city of Cuenca, 310 kilometers (190 miles) south of Quito. The Miss Universe competition, co-owned by Donald Trump and U.S. television company NBC, draws women from more than 80 nations worldwide and has been around for 53 years.