In the indoor car park of the Migennes (Yonne) gendarmerie barracks, Jonathan strolls happily between the patrol vehicles, his nephew a few months old in his arms. "This little one is a future policeman," laugh his colleagues. " Surely not ! For the mother of the baby, there is no question. Families know that being a gendarme is synonymous with daily confrontation with people with potentially dangerous profiles. The death of Mélanie Lemée, a 25-year-old gendarme cut down on a roadblock on July 4 in Port-Sainte-Marie (Lot-et-Garonne), came to painfully remind us of this reality.
This risky job, Lieutenant Bertrand Soutoul compares it to that of a general practitioner. “We deal with everything on a daily basis: from simple noise to armed robbery. We are still in the process of adapting, ”he explains. A sharp adaptation and a sense of analysis to ensure the security of citizens and theirs.
According to the Armed Forces Information and Public Relations Service (Sirpa), six gendarmes died during the exercise of their functions in 2019. And 8,200 were injured. The brand new barracks of Migennes was also named Arnaud-Beltrame in tribute to the senior officer who died in service during the terrorist attack of March 23, 2018 in Trèbes (Aude). Jonathan has been assigned to it since November 2018. At only 27 years old, the young man has already experienced muscular intervention: the conclusion was close to drama.
“We were faced with an alcoholic individual, under the influence of drugs. He refused to comply and drew a knife, aimed at my colleague in the chinstrap. Jonathan had to use his electric pulse pistol to stop the assault. Congratulated by his lieutenant-colonel, he nevertheless knew - as his superior reminded him - that he should have used his firearm. “I was in self-defense, for sure. But shoot a man, I can't. I would never sleep at night. Then afterwards, we are judged as bad guys, there are the legal proceedings… ”He stops. Her silence speaks volumes about this traumatic episode.
Migennes is an urban commune of 7200 inhabitants, located between Auxerre and Sens, wedged between fields and forests. "At the heart of the icaunaise delinquency zone", according to lieutenant-colonel Sébastien Monvoisin, second in command of the Yonne group. Les Mignottes are described as the “sensitive neighborhood” of Migennes. Boubak lived there for over thirty years. In 2019, he had to be relocated. “My building was destroyed. It was threatening to collapse, of course, but the enthusiasm of the young people in the neighborhood did not help its preservation, "he explains, nostalgic.
In the city center, Jean-François set up his pizzeria twenty-five years ago. For him, "the corner is quiet", thanks to "the assiduous presence of the brigade of young gendarmes". He has nevertheless known five burglaries since his arrival. “The Laroche-Migennes station is the terminus from Paris. We only have young kids who come to the mess and leave, ”he explains. The D. Clic salon. Coiffure was able to make the same observation. Last weekend, an armed robbery was operated in the store. Four young people were arrested in the direction of the station. An environment of calm appearance but where the respite is short-lived for the military.
"In Yonne, we have the best resolution rate in France"
The Migennes gendarmerie brigade has jurisdiction over a district of fifteen municipalities, i.e. more than 22,000 inhabitants. On average, according to Lieutenant Soutoul, around 1,200 crimes and crimes are identified per year. This is far from reassuring the family and relatives of the officers. "We live with fear in our stomachs, that's for sure," says Nandrani, Jonathan's partner. One day, I sent a simple It's ok? by text message. He answered me quite naturally: We are getting rocked. "
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A permanent anxiety shared by Marylou. She lives in one of the official accommodation with Antoine, a gendarme in service since April 2017. Her most traumatic memory dates back to the 2019 African Cup of Nations. Once the final was played, "the young people of Migennes" had surrounded the barracks . “For everyone's safety, the gendarmes were posted at the four corners. One was armed, right outside my house, ”she recalls. Faced with altercations and slippages linked to certain arrests, the 28 gendarmes of the brigade advocate better communication with the population. "Sometimes, when we simply greet citizens, we feel that they fear a reproach from us," laments Lieutenant Soutoul.
With only 562 soldiers in the Yonne group, against 587 planned, the gendarmes lack the time to develop better contact with citizens. Thirteen officers are posted while 34 are in theory planned for the department. “In Yonne, we have the best resolution rate in France. Out of 100 cases, 62 were resolved last year, welcomes Lieutenant-Colonel Monvoisin. But does it serve us? No one will send more people to where it is going well. "
For Jonathan, the young gendarme of the brigade, this lack of means results in a loss of efficiency: establishing a link with the citizens would reassure, on the one hand, and obtain potential help during investigations, of another. And perhaps, ultimately, to limit the risks for the military. And perilous situations. In 2019, physical assaults against gendarmes were up 6% compared to 2018. And there were, still last year, more than 12,000 refusals to comply by car in the gendarmerie area. Figures which, inevitably, refer to the drama of Lot-et-Garonne caused by a driver.
Thursday morning, at 10:30 am, under a blazing sun, the gendarmes observed a minute of silence. Attention, uptight faces and distant eyes, the tribute was paid to Mélanie Lemée, policeman killed by a driver on Saturday. “The sacrifice of our comrade obliges us to excellence in our service. The key word: keep moving forward, together, but never forget it, ”said Lieutenant Soutoul. He concluded by recalling the motto of the French gendarmerie: "For the fatherland, honor and the law".
