Rumors of the eviction of the Paris police chief Didier Lallement " are unfounded, " government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday, after press articles targeting the controversial senior official.
Read also: The triple fault of Didier Lallement, a clumsy prefect
" There is absolutely no question on the agenda " of the Council of Ministers concerning the replacement of the Paris police prefect. " These rumors are unfounded and Prefect Lallement continues to exercise his functions in a context which is by definition always difficult ", continued the spokesperson, at the end of the Council.
Asked Tuesday, the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, told AFP that the senior official had all his " confidence ". " It was not considered a change of the post of prefect of Paris ", he continued, after the publication of press articles suggesting a departure of Didier Lallement from the head of the powerful and strategic prefecture of police ( PP) from Paris.
Criticism of its management of law enforcement
Aged 63, this renowned prefect has taken control of the PP since March 2019, after the sacking of the avenue des Champs-Élysées during a mobilization of " yellow vests ". He replaced Michel Delpuech. His management of the maintenance of order in the capital and the numerous accusations of police violence have earned him strong criticism in the opposition, and more particularly on the left. He is also regularly vilified by "yellow vests" and on social networks.
Since taking office, Didier Lallement has faced several controversies and controversies, including that around the death of a delivery man in Paris, Cédric Chouviat, in January 2020, following a banal police check. Three police officers were indicted on July 16 for " manslaughter " in this case.
