Identity checks, estimated at nearly 47 million per year according to the Court of Auditors, would be little, if not ineffective, in guaranteeing the security of a territory.
This is in any case what 39.2% of the gendarmes and police officers questioned as part of a study published this Tuesday and initiated by the Defender of Rights.
Read also Facial checks: why the Council of State is taking up the issue and what it can change
This survey, which focuses on the working conditions of law enforcement officers and their attitudes towards the population, was entrusted to researchers from the Center for Sociological Research on Law and Penal Institutions ( CESDIP).
Contrasted responses on the use of force
The police are the most skeptical about the effectiveness of targeted controls on cannabis users, 69.5% deeming this method to be little or not effective.
Concerning professional practices, the responses are contrasting: if the use of force to obtain confessions is condemned in more than 9 out of 10 cases, nearly 6 out of 10 respondents (59.8%) believe that, in certain cases, the use of more force than what is provided for in the texts should be tolerated.
The majority of police officers and gendarmes also consider that carrying out their mission takes priority over respecting the law (51.8% versus 45.2%).
Continuing training remains a problem according to a significant proportion of the law enforcement officers interviewed.
A small minority of gendarmes and police officers (12% and 5.5% respectively) have benefited from training in the past year on de-escalation of violence.
Not enough trained on citizens' rights
Likewise, almost half of the agents (45.7%) say they are insufficiently trained in citizens' rights.
66.6% have studied minors' law, 53.5% non-discrimination law, 28.8% refugee and foreigners' law and 20.1% economic and social rights.
Faced with these results, the Defender of Rights invites the public authorities and institutions concerned to implement the recommendations that she has made on numerous occasions, such as "strengthening the initial and continuing training of police officers and gendarmes" and "implementing establishes a system for evaluating the practice of identity checks, their effectiveness and their impact on relations with the population.
This survey is based on a sample of 976 gendarmes and 655 police officers spread over seven departments: three in the Paris region (Yvelines, Essonne, Val-d'Oise) and four in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (Cantal, Isère, Loire, Rhône) .